The Face with Two Skeletons
by Tropicwhale
Summary: SLASH Zack/Booth: There's more to Dr. Zack Addy than meets the eye of Special Agent Seeley Booth. But when Zack's private life makes him the prime suspect of a murder Booth must discover the truth in order to save the squint's life.
1. Chapter 1

**_The Face with Two Skeletons _**

**_By_**: Tropicwhale

**_Disclaimer_**: not mine....if I owned them Zack would have still been on the show and gay with Neil Patrick Harris....I would make it happen....but I can't.

**_Warning_**: Zack/Booth slash...if you don't like it the back button is to the left and on top of the page...don't bother to flame....there's enough of _that _in this story. Flamers. Flames. Flaming. All those tenses.

**_Author _****_Notes_**: First "Bones" fanfic. I was frustrated by the lack of Booth/Zack slash out there on the web so I set out to fix that problem. This was suppose to be a one-shot. Meanwhile I'm writing chapter sixteen. I hope you enjoy it.

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**Chapter One**

Special Agent Seeley Booth of the F.B.I was as the adage goes a "man's man". A masculine, athletic, completely heterosexual hunk with a smile that could make knees melt with a good ½ mile radius of its beam. It was totally like a superpower….if Zack thought superpowers were possible. But as the X-men and Superman had completely illogical power sources and contact with aliens like Martian Manhunter has never been made to Zack's scientific satisfaction so that ended that. But, when he was younger, he did like the Batman comics. They were believable to a point. So was Ironman and Captain America. Agent Booth would make a good Captain America, at least in Zack's opinion.

Booth also had a nice bone structure….except for the Neanderthal-like quality that his brow gained when he was angered or trying to figure out something. But his legs and arms were straight and his back was strong, at least structurally. Zack was pretty sure that his chronic back problems were due to muscular stress that would be greatly helped by a weekly massage. Here in laid the rub. Zack would love to be the one to give those massages.

Wow. Just the thought of giving Booth a back massage made him blush. He glances down on the bones he was cataloguing for Dr. Brennan thankful that he was in 'Limbo' as Angela called it. It was a fitting name so it stuck even in Zack's mind due to his brief stint in a private Catholic school right before he took his first IQ test and was declared a prodigy. He spends more time down here than in the proper lab. Here he could get work done and was able to think clearly without people looking over his shoulder asking him pointless questions. If Dr. Brennan or Hodgins or Angela or Dr. Saroyan needed him they knew where to find him but for the most part they, and everyone else, left him alone.

Zack liked working with bones. They were uncomplicated unlike the human beings that formed up around them. Bones couldn't lie about the lives they had once lead and things like sexual orientation and social mores ceased to matter. That was the cool thing about "being a squint in the boneyard" as Booth would say.

So obviously it was surprise when Booth appeared in front of Zack around five' o'clock in the afternoon on a Friday in May. Zack looked up from the incomplete Caucasian twenty-something female skeleton discovered in Alabama in the 1930's but only finding its way to the Jeffersonian this last January that was laid out carefully on the table in front of him. "Can I help you, Agent Booth?" he asked, his mind working in overdrive on why the Federal officer was in Limbo across from Zack. Booth shifted and it occurred to Zack that the movement spoke of nervousness or unease. He wasn't sure where he picked up that bit of information, maybe from Booth himself? Either way there was an 85% chance that Zack was correct in assuming that Booth was nervous. He often was around the scientists, especially Zack. This made sense. Even Hodgins and Dr. Saroyan sometimes had issues with being comfortable around Zack. His intellect coupled with his inability to understand the impractical and illogical nuances of human behavior did make for an unsettling combination. Zack understood that. So why was Booth here? Booth cleared his throat.

"Everyone-the squints, me, Angela, Cam, even Sweets are going out for dinner. They couldn't seem to remember if you were around and Bones said you might be down here so I came to check." Conscious of it or not Booth did break things down a little more than when he was talking to Zack then he would if he was talking to someone like Dr. Brennan.

"You drew the short straw you mean." Zack corrected. Federal agents shouldn't have to lie. Even if it were white lies that were meant to protect Zack's feelings, especially since it was unnecessary. Booth winced. "It's okay. I sometimes can be difficult to remove from cataloguing remains. One time I forgot to eat for three days and Hodgins had to drive me to the hospital because of severe dehydration. It was silly of me to get as caught up as I was but I had just started working here and wanted to make a good impression on Dr. Brennan. Ever since then they draw straws. It is a fair way of deciding who is going to make sure that I remember to eat." With that Zack turned back to the remains. He was something missing. He had to be.

"Zack? Zack!" Booth snapped fingers in front of Zack's face. Zack's head snapped up to face him.

"Yes, Agent Booth?"

"Put the bones away. Come eat. Be human for once." Zack looked back at the girl's bones…woman's bones. The pelvis was broader and-that's what he was missing.

"She had a child. You can tell by the way the pelvis bone is spread. See?" Zack looked up at Booth who was giving him an odd look. "She was human too. The only difference is that now she can't lie about her life. It's easier to find out things." Zack looked back at the bones. "I wonder what happened to the baby."

"Zack?" Booth sounded confused. It wasn't too often that Zack spoke the tangents in his head out loud. It put people off more than normal or so Hodgins had said so Zack tried not to do it.

"She most likely drowned. See?" Zack pointed to telltale signs of drowning induced hemorrhaging on the ribs and altas cervical bone. "I wonder what happened to it." Zack looked back at Booth. "It's easy to be forgotten and then you end up down here, in Limbo. She had a baby. It doesn't seem fair."

"No, it isn't." Booth was looking at him with something like pity. Zack wondered why that was. He was merely stating fact. "Where did she come from? The bones?" Booth spoke carefully…almost as if he was afraid he was going to spook Zack back into technical speech. Zack was very careful to speak in a common vernacular when speaking in Booth's presence. It seemed that Booth was less put off by that than when Zack spoke in the correct technical terminology.

"Alabama, in theory. She was found there in the 1930's. Before that it is unsure. The bones were dredged up in a swamp according to the corresponding file."

"Put her away. Come eat. Figure it out later. She can wait a few hours. You might collapse then who will figure it out?"

"Dr. Brennan." Zack stated quickly. Obviously. Booth smiled at that, almost as if Zack had made a joke. The fact of the matter was that Zack was stating fact. Eventually, if he collapsed, there was a reasonable probability that Dr. Brennan would be the one to figure out who the woman had been. But Zack wasn't thinking about that. Zack was thinking about how his knees melted when Agent Booth smiled which is technically impossible. Cartilage doesn't normally melt. But the metaphor described how Zack felt very efficiently so he felt comfortable in using it.

"Zack? Are you okay?" Zack hadn't realized that he had semi-collapsed when Booth smiled. The bones rattled on the metal table as Zack grabbed the edge of the table so that he would not completely fall. Partly he collapsed because of sudden arousal and partly because he hadn't eaten since yesterday but that was negligible at the moment because Booth was around the examination table to make sure that Zack did not fall with his arms around Zack's waist and Booth's front bracing Zack's back and side. Booth's goal proved difficult to achieve because Zack's arousal had increased when Booth touched him and he felt dizzy. Zack was also very careful to ignore the impluse of wrapping his arms around Booth's neck.

"I feel dizzy."

"When was the last time you ate anything?"

"Last night at dinner. I had macaroni and cheese with a small salad. I tend to not eat protein at night. It irritates my stomach when I'm trying to sleep."

"Zack…"

"I'm talking too much?" It was an educated guess on the grounds of past experiences with Booth. It didn't count as real guessing. Zack's stomach growled audibly.

"No." See, this was why Zack didn't guess. It was inaccurate. "It's just-you need to eat healthy."

"I usually do. And technically what I ate was healthy." Booth sighed in irritation. "What?"

"I don't feel like explaining. Come on." With that the federal agent dragged Zack away from the bones of the unknown Caucasian female in her mid-twenties that was discovered in an Alabama swamp sometime in the 1930's.

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Author After Talk: This is my break from my Buffy fanfiction "Grimmoire" series featuring Spander....it has to be finished by the 12th of June because that's when the first chapter of "Sometime Around Midnight" goes up that day. If "Skeleton" isn't finished by then it will be going on hiatus until "Midnight" is finished. I'm telling you this upfront because....well, I've lost track of how many times a good fic was hiatus-d because the author didn't plan things out and that deadline is a challenge to myself which is only offical if its announced. Watch me move!

Tropic


	2. Chapter 2

_**The Face with Two Skeletons**_

**_By_**: Tropicwhale

_**Disclaimer**: _Are they gay? No? Then they're not mine and I'm just playing with them for my own amusement and not for profit. I promise to put them back when I'm finished....dusted off and everything.

**_Author Talk_**: Color me surprised when I saw the reviews in my inbox this morning...cool. Guess I should continue this story.

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**Chapter Two**

Booth drove them to the Royal Dinner. Zack ordered the mac-and-cheese until Booth glared at him and he ordered a ham sandwich to go with it and an iced tea. Booth ordered a cheeseburger with a black coffee and fries with slaw. The two of them sat in silence until their food came. Zack opted to look out the window and tried to imagine the bones of the people walking by. It was a taxing and fun exercise that kept Zack's mind sharp for his job and effectively off his precedent arousal toward the federal officer sitting across from him. Booth watched Zack. Zack looked over. "Yes?" Booth shook his head.

"I'm trying to figure you out."

"What is there to figure out?" Zack was confused. He tried to be straightforward as possible like Booth and bones.

"You're a squint, and a way weird and creepy squint at that, but you get involved in a mystery and you conduct yourself like a rookie federal officer."

"I don't understand."

"Forgetting to eat? Cloistering yourself away from others until you figure out what the truth is? That's stuff that rookie detectives do."

"So you are comparing me to a law enforcement officer who doesn't have a lot of experience? Is that suppose to be a compliment, an insult, or a observation?" Booth blinked.

"I guess it's an observation." Zack nodded, filing it away in his mind, and turned back to the window. Their food arrived. Zack ate the mac-and-cheese first while Booth chomped into his burger.

"So why were you involved with the drawing? Usually it's just Hodgins, Angela, Dr. Brennan, and, recently, Dr. Saroyan."

"I was in the lab doing some follow-up on the last case with Bones." Booth popped a fry into his mouth.

"So you never were involved with the drawing before?" Booth swallowed and picked up another fry.

"No, I get roped into it when I'm around. This the first time I've ever drawn the short straw though." Zack nodded.

"So your luck 'ran out' as the saying goes."

"What? No. I didn't mean it like that."

"Okay." Zack went back to eating.

"Wait, that's it?" Zack looked up at Booth in between bites.

"I don't understand."

"You're just going to accept that I didn't see having to take you out to eat as bad luck?"

"Do you see it as good luck?"

"No. But that's not what I meant."

"Then what did you mean?"

"I mean…taking you out is neither good nor bad luck. It just is."

"I believe you. Past experience has taught me that you usually have no cause to lie nor do you care to. You're straightforward. Like bones. So I tend to believe what you say at face value." Booth cocked his head and smiled at that.

"Thank you Zack."

"For what?"

"For saying that you believe me to be truthful."

"It's what I perceive as fact." Zack was confused again. It seemed to happen often around Booth, Zack being confused and he wasn't at all certain if he cared for it.

"Thank you." Booth said sincerely. Zack blinked. "Finish your food, Zack." Zack nodded and obeyed.

After he finished eating, Zack went into the bathroom to wash up while Booth paid the bill. As the waitress came up to him to hand his credit card back she smiled. "I think you and your boyfriend look so cute together." Booth blinked at her, confused as hell. Then he caught on.

"OH! No. We're not-I'm not gay. He's my partner's assistant and he sometimes forgets to eat." She smiled knowingly and walked away. "Wait! I'm not-! Oh forget it." Booth slouched in his seat, momentarily annoyed. Zack chose that moment to reappear. Zack wasn't even Booth's type. How could she think that they were a couple? Bones and Booth, that mistake he could understand. But Zack? Zack was…not Booth's type. Not his type at all.

"Are you ready to go?" Zack asked. "I need to get back to the Jeffersonian."

"Why?"

"I would like to make some notes on the remains I was working with before you took me out to dinner while they are still fresh in my mind."

"No." Zack's face crumpled into something between a pout and anger.

"Why not?"

"This may be the first time I've had to do this but I was informed of the rules. Get you to eat and get you home, make sure you're going actually go to bed and not sneak out and back to the Jeffersonian." Zack looked slightly miffed at that. He had only done that once. "What?"

"I miscalculated. It frustrates me." Booth laughed. Zack froze and reared back slightly. "Why are you laughing?"

"Because what you just said was funny." Booth cracked a smile. Zack looked confused.

"I don't understand."

"You, Mr. Science and Calculation, underestimated not just me but Bones, Cam, Hodgins, and Angela in thinking that they wouldn't considered the possibly of you trying to trick me to go back to work. That is funny." Zack thought a moment then finally nodded.

"I can see where that would be amusing."

"Good for you." Booth was smiling again. He seemed relaxed to Zack. It was a nice change from the usual circumstances in which Zack came into contact with Booth. Although, Zack reasoned, that under the usual circumstances it would be highly inappropriate for Booth to be relaxed as he was at the moment.

"Ready to go?" Booth stood and laid down a tip.

"Yup." They walked out together. Their waitress grinned at them. Booth glared at her and regretted the tip he gave her. Booth opened the car door for Zack before walking past the front of the car to the driver's side. Zack slide into the car and shut the door. "Why so quiet, Zack?" Zack looked over at Booth but the federal officer was already concentrating on getting out of the parallel parking spot. When he was moving in traffic Zack answered.

"I wasn't aware that I was being unduly quiet."

"You weren't-I was just trying to make conversation."

"Oh. I'm sorry. I'm not very good at that…unless the conversation is scientific in nature." Booth nodded. "What about you? You are acting out of character as well."

"Am I?"

"You are being nice to me."

"I'm always nice to you, Zack."

"You prefer if we have no direct contact. How is that being nice?" Zack could tell he struck a metaphorical nerve because Booth shifted uncomfortably.

"It's…you're right. It's not nice of me. It's just…during work you're a little tough to handle and the situations we're in usually aren't particularly…" Booth struggled with the words.

"They are stressful. Solving murders should be…the truth needs to be found out-"

"Exactly." Booth interjected.

"-and I'm not a socially adept person. You should not waste time on trying to figure out how to communicate with me effectively while solving a murder. It is counterproductive."

"Exactly."

"But you try to pass it off as proper social etiquette which is the not nice part." Booth had nothing to say to that.

"I'm sorry, Zack. You're right. That's wrong of me."

"Your apology is accepted."

"Robot." Booth laughs to show it's a joke. Zack smiles too. He can see the humor in the word. Hodgins had made a similar comment just last week.

"Normal person." Zack jibes back and Booth roars with laughter. For some reason, it's incredibly funny to him. Perhaps it was the dead beat of Zack's voice. "Please watch the road."

"I am." It didn't seem like it. Booth glances over to see Zack's worried look. "I am, don't worry." Booth slaps Zack's thigh good naturedly. "I'm a good driver." Zack nods and turns back to his window. The nerve ends on his thigh tingled in a pleasant way from where Booth had touched him. The effect was rippling out toward Zack's sexual organs and his face was flushed. It would not do to break the fragile peace that had unexpectedly occurred between him and the federal officer because Zack couldn't control his physical reactions to Booth and then have Booth notice. "Hey? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Agent Booth. I suppose I'm becoming a little tired. It is approaching my bedtime."

"It's barely eight."

"I go to bed at nine-thirty. It's an optimum time to fall asleep and get the recommended eight hours, fit in my morning routine and get to work on time."

"You know, Zack, if you were more normal you would have fit right in with the army."

"Except I couldn't." Booth forgot about that.

"I know." Booth sighed.

"It's not your fault you know. Turn here…it's quicker." Booth obeyed even as he replied.

"I told you to go."

"No. I turned to you to seek guidance in dealing with Dr. Brennan and my decision to go. I was going to Iraq either way." Booth glanced over at Zack. "My sister's over there. As her older brother I should want to look after her…even though she was the one that would beat up bullies that picked on me."

"Zack…I didn't know."

"She knew I was in Iraq. I had sent her an email. We actually managed to get leave at the same time and met up in Bagdad. That was kinda cool. I worry about her now that I'm home." Zack looked over at Booth. Booth glanced at him and focused on the road.

"As you should be." Zack nodded. There was a moment of silence then Booth snorts in amusement and slaps the steering wheel with the palm of his hand. "What do you know, the littlest squint got layers like an onion." Zack looked at him clearly confused and a little wary. Booth snorted again. "Don't worry. You wouldn't get the reference."

"You were combining a quote from the character Spike of _Buffy: The Vampire Slayer_ from the _Angel _episode "Destiny" with a bit of dialogue from the first _Shrek _movie along with the Federal slang for scientists. I got it. I just thought it was weird that you thought it was funny." Zack commented drily. "Turn left up at the light." Booth stopped at the red light and turned on his turn signal before looking at Zack.

"You are a surprising person."

"Not really."

"So what other hidden pieces are there of Dr. Zack Addy?"

"Light's green." Booth turned back to the road as he turned so did Zack. "I can sing…I'm award-winning actually. I am also a fairly good dancer. I can play the piano and list all fifty states alphabetically. Also, I'm a fairly decent forward." Booth stopped at a stop sign. "Straight, please…there will be two turns on the right then take a left…the name of the street you're looking for is Mulberry Drive."

"Forward…like in basketball?"

"Not like in basketball. In basketball. I play forward for a recreational team on the weekends. I am deceptively strong and quick."

"Doesn't Hodgins know?"

"He never asked." Zack stared into the dark night counting streets and trees.

"Do you follow professional?"

"Yes. I'm a great Blazers fan."

"They're not doing too well this season."

"No, they are not. Their star player had microfracture surgery on his right knee last season and now has a sprain on his right foot this season. It's been very frustrating for me. Left here, see?" Zack pointed. Booth turned. "Third house on the left there's going to be a private road with no outlet. Take that." Booth turned. "You forgot the turn signal."

"Sorry." Booth said automatically. Zack hypothesized that he was confused about how he had misjudged Zack so badly. Zack focused his attention on Booth. He wasn't even multitasking using his photographic memory to figure out the mystery of the woman's bones back at the lab. That was a lot of attention.

"It will be the house at the bottom of the court…you could leave me at the gate. I'm sure Hodgins is home to let me in." Booth pulled out his cell phone when he hit the bottom of the cul-de-sac. "Who are you calling?"

"Hodgins." Zack was quiet. Obviously Booth didn't know about the intercom system on the outside of the gate and it wouldn't do for the federal agent to feel inferior if Zack pointed it out to him after they had such a good time. After a few moments Zack could hear Hodgins pick up in the silence of the car over the hum of the engine. "Yeah. Hodgins. Are you home yet? On a date. Is it safe to let Zack to let himself in or should I make absolutely certain that he makes it to-Got it. Thanks Hodgins. What's the code again? Why not?" Booth sighed irritated. "Hodgins," He said patiently "you know me. I'm not going to-Hodgins, you're weird. Hodgins…Hodgins, just because I'm a federal officer doesn't mean I'm going to plant bugs in your house if you give me the passcode." Zack looked out his window and grinned. Hodgin's paranoia was amusing sometimes. "I don't have a photographic memory…You Know That Because I'm Telling You. Hodgins…" Booth held the phone at arm's length then growled. Zack smothered a laugh and looked away so Booth wouldn't notice. Booth snapped the cell back to his ear. "HODGINS!! You know," Booth's voice went suddenly soft and conversational. "I think you're protesting too much. Maybe you have something to hide. Maybe I should call in Homeland Security to check out your place for the good of the country." Zack chanced a glance at the federal agent as Booth shifted the car into park. He had an evil smirk on his face but was clearly enjoying the effect that he had on the entomologist. "Try me. Almost, let me get out of the car." Booth got out of the car with the engine still running and went up to the keypad. One by one he punched in the numbers. The gate started to open and Booth raced back to the car, pulled the door shut slammed on his seat belt and threw the car into drive just as the gate fully opened. He slowly edged out and into Hodgin's home. Zack was feeling very sleepy.

"I liked how you used Hodgin's paranoia against him." Booth snorted.

"Just don't tell anyone, okay? I'm not suppose to threaten private citizens like that."

"But it was amusing."

"Amusement value aside, I shouldn't have done it. The good guys don't use their powers for evil."

"Understood. Am I a good guy too?" Booth glanced over at the squint that had sort of slumped in the bucket seat in a failed attempt to get comfortable enough to fall asleep. Zack thought that there was elements of pride and surprise and confusion on Booth's face but that could have been a trick of the low lighting in the car.

"Of course. You help us catch the bad guys." Zack looked at him blankly. "The murderers and stuff."

"Oh. Okay. I suppose I'm more of a sidekick then an actual hero. You and Dr. Brennan are the heroes…I'm Robin." Booth laughed. "I'm sorry. He's the only side-kick I can think off."

"Well, you're the Boy Wonder."

"I suppose."

"Zack, can I give you a piece of advice?"

"It will be unprecedented." Zack observed. Booth flinched again, quickly, just around the eyes. If Zack hadn't been completely focusing on Booth he would have missed it.

"I'm sorry I keep making you flinch."

"It's not your fault, Zack. I'm just-I shouldn't underestimate people." Zack nods. He understands. Booth pulled up in front of the garage.

"What's your advice?"

"Oh. Don't take life so seriously. You above all people should know that it can be too short so why not enjoy it? Take life by the horns and give it a good shake." Zack sat up.

"I don't understand the metaphor."

"What I mean is…don't let logic get in the way of your life…it can be as blinding as emotions sometimes. There is a middle road you know, of balancing out everything. If you see something you want, don't try to think yourself out of trying to get it."

"I see."

"Do you?" Booth looked over at Zack. It was very dark and the house lights that were on cast an eerie half-glow on one side of Booth's face that made him look both young and old at the same time.

"Yes. I had a very good time tonight. Would you like to come up to my apartment?" Zack was aware of the sexual connation of the phrasing but that did not explain Booth's almost violent tensing. "Agent Booth? I know it's late but it is Friday and I can afford to stay up a little later then on a usual weeknight. I also am not that tired and was wondering if you would like to watch a basketball game with me. I TiVo'd the Blazers/Pistons game from Wednesday night…that is unless you already watched it."

"No, I missed it." Booth seemed severely distracted. Perhaps he was calculating his own sleep regime. Zack waited patiently for him to finish.

"I have chocolate ice cream as well. If that's any temptation." Booth started and looked at Zack. "Agent Booth? Are you okay?"

"I-I'm fine, Zack."

"I also have beer. I don't drink but Hodgins and my basketball teammates like to come over and partake occasionally so I find it's better to be well prepared against such an eventuality." Booth looked close to having a stroke. "You can always say no, Agent Booth. You've more than done your duty in taking care of me. The others would have just gotten me Chinese take-out so that I could continue working and then driven me home when they were ready to head home themselves. You're more than cleared from duty. It was very nice of you. Thank you for a good time." Zack unbuckled himself and opened the car door and got out. He closed the car door and started toward the side entrance to the garage.

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**_Author Talk_**: I'm incapable of writing a one shot. I thought you all should know.

Tropic


	3. Chapter 3

_**The Face with Two Skeletons**_

**_By_**: Tropicwhale

**_Disclaimer_**: Mine? Ha!!

**_Author Talk_**: Poor Booth. Basketball, ice cream, beer, and Zack....I couldn't resist....could you?

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**Chapter Three**

Booth, meanwhile, was having a small coronary. After what that waitress at the Diner said it was very easy to think that this was Zack's seduction technique. Basketball, chocolate ice cream, and beer. That was….and the way that Zack had phrased everything. It was so innocent sounding! Just a kid asking a guy to hang out a little longer because if said guy didn't then said kid would be alone on a Friday night because he lacked the social skills to make friends outside of work. Or so Booth had thought. Zack had said 'Hodgins and [his] basketball teammates'. So it couldn't possibly be what Booth perceived as a come-on via the Blazers (there were better basketball teams) and Bud Lite (Booth hoped not) and chocolate ice cream. It was just Booth's dirty old mind twisting everything the kid said because a sick waitress at the Diner had opened her big mouth. Zack had 'Naomi from Paleontology'. He wasn't gay and neither was Booth. So he could totally spend a Friday night with a poor lonely kid with eating ice cream and drinking beer watching a basketball game they both had missed because of work. It was like community service! With beer!!! Booth put the car into park, took the key out of the ignition, got out, and locked it up. Then he caught up with Zack. "Wait." Zack turned and waited under a yellow lamp that had moths flying all around, house key in his hand. Booth caught up with him "A beer sounds good." he said. Zack nodded and turned back to open the door. Beyond the door there was a flight of stairs that was dark until Zack turned on the light. The stairwell was long, white, and narrow and ended at a bland white door at the top that was also apparently locked. Zack shut the first door behind them and started up the stairs to the second, flipping through his keys as he did. Booth followed him feeling like a giant in a hobbit hole. Zack opened the door and lead Booth through to his apartment which was surprisingly massive. Booth was shocked. It was like he was Alice going coming out of the rabbit hole into Wonderland "Holy crap!"

The apartment was about the size of a small loft like the ones one could find in the city proper along the Potomac that cost way more than they should. There was a dresser peeking out behind one wall that covered about half of the far side of the apartment and a large kitchen unit along the same wall as the door with a bar/island separating it from the rest of the room. The door to the bathroom was open and set along the same wall as the bedroom which also hosted the largest CD and DVD collection Booth had ever seen. There was another wall opposite the DVD collection with a massive entertainment system set into a whole huge library with a couch and coffee table. A bunch of work out equipment including a treadmill and a full set of free weights were against the window that looked out over the driveway and front yard and there was a modest piano tucked away in the furthest corner from the door. The middle of the space was large and empty and everything was either white or some other white-adjacent neutral color. "Most of this stuff isn't mine. Hodgins technically provided the entertainment equipment, the sofa, the coffee table, the-" Booth held up a hand to stop the list.

"Zack, don't need a rundown."

"Okay." Booth stepped further into the apartment as Zack closed the door.

"Wow, this place is amazing."

"It is on top of a twenty-four car garage." Booth turned and started at the younger man. "Hodgins says that there a great many of them that have been in the family for three generations and that many of them are very valuable collection items in certain circles." Zack moved to turn on the television and flip through the TiVo menu. "Make yourself at home." Booth moved toward the couch and pulled off his jacket and toed off his shoes to kick them under an end table so no one would trip over them.

"Got a closet I can hang this?" Zack looked over at the jacket that was very limp without Booth's form to fill it.

"In the bedroom, help yourself." Zack finally answered and turned back around to focus on the television screen and the remote control in his hand. Booth took a deep breath. He could go and hang up his jacket in Zack's room. That was easy. It's not like the kid asked him to bed. Booth walked into the bedroom and stopped. There were two doors on either side of a bed with a thick purple cover and lighter purple sheets. The doors were painted the same light shade of purple as the walls and there was a massive purple and blue area rug that was thick and shaggy. The dresser was in one corner angled so that it blocked the sight of the piano if someone was laying on the bed and formed an impromptu wall so that Booth was standing in a sort of doorway from which the workout equipment could be seen. Booth picked the door furthest from the wall that separated the room from the rest of the apartment and it turned out he was right, it was a closet. He hung up the coat and after a moment's thought took off his tie and belt as well and hung them on the same hanger. He then untucked his shirt so that it wasn't obvious he wasn't wearing a belt. He closed the closet door and went out to join Zack in the living room. Zack had the TiVo set up and was in the kitchen making himself a bowl of ice cream and had a beer ready for Booth. As Booth came out of the bedroom Zack looked up from the tub of ice cream and his look was very….it was very disconcerting. There wasn't anything special about the look other than it occurred as Booth came out of Zack's bedroom. It was the same look Zack had when he was standing over a corpse and discussing trauma. It was a work-Zack look.

"That for me?" Booth nodded to the beer to cover up his nervousness. Zack nodded back.

"Yes it is." Booth nodded too and approaches the island. He stopped when he saw what Zack's putting on his chocolate ice cream. Zack caught Booth staring. "What?"

"Wet nuts and whipped cream?"

"It's very good. Unfortunately, I don't have bananas right now otherwise I'd put them on as well." Booth had a suddenly dry throat.

"You like rich food?" Booth guessed.

"Not usually. But on occasion it can be quite enjoyable such as wet nuts and bananas on chocolate ice cream covered in whip cream. It is one of my favorite guilty pleasures." Booth's brain threatened to quit. Booth considered it might be because this conversation seemed like they were talking about something two male co-workers shouldn't talk about so they were talking about it in code. It was all very confusing. Zack put the tub of ice cream away and took his bowl and the spoon he used for the wet nuts to the living room. Booth went to take a swig of beer to suddenly find that it was specifically the brand he favored. Instead of calming him down like it should have the swig only made him more nervous. Booth put the beer down and shook it off. It was just Zack Addy, Bones' Boy Wonder. There was no need for Booth to start acting like a high schooler with his first date that had brought him home to a house with no parents in it. Booth grabbed the beer, took another gulp, stuffed his free hand into one pocket, and slouched over to sit next to Zack on the couch, attempting to allude as many masculine vibes as he was able.

* * *

**_Author After Talk_**: Hehehe.....I mean *clears throat* hi?

Tropic


	4. Chapter 4

_**The Face with Two Skeletons**_

**_By_**: Tropicwhale

**_Disclaimer_**: Hehehe I wish.....

**_Author Talk_**: Hey so anyone know the signs of boiling on bones? Because otherwise I'm defaulting to saltiness......don't ask why but I am.

* * *

**Chapter Four**

Zack looked over Booth who suddenly seemed angry and frustrated. He hit play on TiVo and focused on the game and his ice cream. After a while, Booth sighed heavily and Zack looked up to see Booth scrubbing his face with both hands, his beer on the coffee table. "Are you going to be okay to drive? Because you can always sleep here and leave in the morning."

"I'm not drunk."

"I merely meant that you seem both tired and frustrated. These things are not conductive to a safe drive."

"Could you sound any more like a manual?" Booth seemed very frustrated at Zack. Zack opened his mouth to ask why that was but Booth cut him off. "I'm sorry Zack. That came out wrong. I'm fine. I'm sorry." Zack took Booth at his word.

"It's alright." Zack went back to watching the game. Booth sighed again but settled more into his seat to gulp his beer. Booth's mood got darker and darker as time wore on and Zack wondered if he should have even offered beer in the first place. Alcohol was proven to lower inhibitions and enhances emotions whether it was happiness or anger which led to many bad situations for the intoxicated person which never would have happened if there was no alcohol in the first place. Zack wanted to ask what was wrong but he didn't even know where to start. Interpersonal relationships were not his strong point and it wasn't like he was close to Booth in the first place. Perhaps a direct approach? Booth always seemed to appreciate a more direct approach with little to no scientific terminology involved. Zack looked over at Booth "I know it's probably not my place to ask-"

"Then don't." Booth didn't even glance away from the television screen. Zack stopped. He looked down at his empty ice cream bowl. Perhaps this was a bad idea. Inviting Booth up to his apartment for the game and a beer had seemed like a good idea when Zack had offered it. After all they had had what sort of could be counted as fun at the Diner and in the car or rather Booth seemed to enjoy Zack's company a little more. But Booth had merely drawn the short straw. He was doing what he thought he had to so that Zack didn't sneak out to go back to the Jeffersonian to work on the woman's bones he had left behind. Zack was upset by that. He wasn't sure why he was upset but that didn't change the emotion. Booth had gone above and beyond what the others had done in his position but it was still just duty, a chore to do before going home for the night. 'Make sure Zack doesn't collapse on our watch'. It was upsetting to Zack that he was a burden to the people he cared about. Zack stood and went to wash out the bowl. He suddenly didn't feel like watching the Blazers and the Pistons. It seemed contrived to him, the whole situation like an experiment that had a variable that wasn't accounted for during the formulation of the hypothesis. He cleaned up the kitchen of the ice cream toppings and wiped down the counter. "Are you seriously cleaning on a Friday night?"

"Yes. Apparently." Zack snapped.

"Why?"

"Because my kitchen's dirty and it's not like I can't see the game from here."

"Why are you so angry all of the sudden? I mean I know the Blazers are getting their ass kicked but-"

"We were having fun. I'm angry because you're suddenly angry and I'm almost certain it is because you drew the short straw." There was a moment of absolute silence except for the sounds of the basketball game where Zack just cleaned his kitchen and Booth watch him.

"What makes you say that?" Zack stopped to glare at Booth. He stopped being mad.

"I can't remember." Which was a lie but it seemed silly to tell the truth. "You were angry and I just I assumed that you were angry for having to watch me when you could be doing something else more productive."

"You assumed." Booth said blankly.

"Yes."

"Isn't assuming guessing?" It was apparent that Booth saw this as humorous when his eyes crinkled at the corners and the edges of his mouth edged up. Zack's head reared back on his neck as he reassessed the situation.

"Are you making fun of me?"

"Not in a mean way I promise. Don't pay any attention to my black mood. I'm…being an idiot."

"Why?" Booth paused, considering.

"It's nothing you did, Zack."

"I still would like to know why. That way I can figure out the appropriate thing to say next time to remove you from that state of emotion." Zack was back in scientific mode.

"Zack-"

"Please?" Booth sighed, resigned by the fact of Zack's curiosity.

"It was something our waitress said to me while you were in the bathroom back at the Diner."

"Did she imply that she found you sexually attractive and indicated an interest in having sexual intercourse with you?" There was a moment that Booth took to decipher that statement.

"NO. No. She implied that you and I were dating."

"Why would that make you angry?"

"I'm not gay."

"Gay as in homosexual, correct?"

"Yes Zack." The familiar edge of irritation colored Booth's voice.

"Just clarifying." Zack metaphorically waved off the irritation in the pursuit of information. "Why would that make you angry? For someone to call you a homosexual?"

"Because I'm not. Would you like it if someone called you dumb?"

"I have an IQ of over one hundred sixty-three. I know that statement is false."

"Yeah, but-"

"Are you worried her statement implied that you were homosexual and you are not secure enough in your sexuality to ignore it?"

"What? No! I like girls, Zack."

"So do I."

"See? So if someone-"

"I like boys as well; if, by like, you're implying sexual attraction then yes I like boys and girls. I don't see anything wrong with it." Booth had frozen. He had stared at Zack with something like shock and horror. "What?"

"You're bisexual?"

"I've had a lot of sex."

"It means that you-"

"I know, Agent Booth. It was a joke."

"Some joke."

"Are you uncomfortable with this information about me?"

"What? No. I'm not uncomfortable. I'm just….surprised. You surprised me again."

"Oh. Okay. Now that's cleared up shall we return to watching the game?"

"Uh. Yeah." Zack went back and sat down next to Booth who scooted further away from Zack and closer to the end of the couch.

"You are uncomfortable. Why?"

"Honestly? It was how I was raised. I don't think two men should necessarily be together." Zack looks over at Booth.

"But science has shown that there are biological reasons for homosexuality and bisexuality. It's either a DNA variation or something chemical that occurs in the womb. Not to mention sexual release is sexual release whether it is for procreation or not. Do you attempt to procreate every time you have sex? Or do you wear a condom?"

"That's different."

"How so? I don't understand your logic. Explain it to me."

"I-it just is."

"Really? Because it seems to me that it's the same. You're Catholic and Catholic doctrine states that any act of sexual intercourse that isn't expressly toward procreation is considered sinful. So, whether or not you believe that homosexuality is wrong you also have to consider that any time you use a condom or your female partner uses a birth control pill then you are, in fact, being sinful. So it reasonably follows that you are in the same situation as I am just with different variables." Booth had nothing to say to that. Zack turned his attention back to the Blazers game. "Besides, only people who are ashamed make excuses and I'm not ashamed."

"Jeez, you and Bones…some things are just-" Booth made an angry gesture with his hands that made it look like he was strangling somebody. "They're just not socially acceptable behavior across the board."

"I see. Are you sure society is in the right if it stops people from living their lives to the fullest and happily? I could list statistics of suicide cases where it turns out that the individual was homosexual and couldn't make allowances for their natural sexual orientation with society's rules. I'm not comfortable with making this assumption but, hypothetically, what if the woman whose bones I was examining in Limbo today was a homosexual? She or someone else drowns her because of society's rules against her orientation and her child is left motherless. According to several statistics children that are raised by their birth parents have a greater emotional maturity and satisfaction in life then when-"

"Okay! I get it. You're right. If that was the case, which you made a point that maybe it wasn't, then that woman would have been better off alive and living with another woman for her child's sake than drowned in some swamp."

"Thank you for conceding the point. It was very mature of you." Booth stood and walked toward the kitchen. "The beer is in the second shelf on the left side in the door of the refrigerator."

"Thanks." There was a few seconds of silence in which Zack could hear the refrigerator door open"What if the kid had abusive birth parents?" Booth's voice sounded like he was thinking of something he hadn't thought of in awhile. Zack considered the question as the Blazers stole possession from the Pistons.

"Then that child would be better off living with adoptive parents that cared and wanted the child. There's a movement in Westernized cultures for homosexual families to adopt due to the fact that they can't necessarily have their own children and-"

"I know. You have a good point, Zack. You win." Booth got another beer out of the refrigerator and closed the door.

"I know I have a good point however I wasn't aware that we were in a contest." Booth grinned at the television screen as he sips his beer.

"Although you liking men explains the purple bedroom." Zack looked over at him confused as Booth returned to his seat, sipping at his beer.

"Purple induces a sense of calm in me. Also, it also is one of the few colors I can look at without thinking about corpses. As much as I love my job, thinking about work is not conducive to trying to fall asleep. It has nothing to do with my attraction to men." Booth smiles at that. "What?"

"I think that I should drink around you more. You're funny when I've got a couple of beers in me."

"Okay?"

"Just say 'okay' and mean it, Zack."

"Okay."

"Good boy."

"Yes, I am." Booth snorted, amused. "With your bulk you shouldn't be intoxicated after two beers."

"I'm not drunk, Zack. Did you just call me fat?"

"No. You are a large human being. I'm not. It's scientifically proven that it would take a lot less alcohol to get someone my size drunk then someone of your size."

"You're not that small."

"Compared to you I am."

"Yeah that's true. Angela could probably kick your ass."

"I am not so sure. I am deceptively strong." Booth snorted in disbelief as a player made a jump shot and missed. "I am." The rebound made it into the hoop.

"Whatever Zack."

"I bet that I am in better shape than you." Booth snorted again. "Do you have a phlegm problem? You keep snorting."

"No. I just don't believe you."

"I see." Zack stood up and started to take off his shirt. Booth did a horrified double take and jumped to his feet to grab Zack's hands and hold them still.

"What are you doing?"

"Proving to you that I am strong."

"You can't think of another way to show me that besides stripping?" Booth's voice definitely had a squeaky panicked note to it that he wasn't willing to admit to.

"I'd rather not lift weights this late at night without stretching. I have a big game tomorrow." Zack couldn't understand why Booth would have a problem with his stripping off his shirt unless it was some issue with Zack's bisexuality and what the waitress from the Diner had said earlier to Booth. "Do you not what me to take off my shirt because I am bisexual and you are afraid that somehow, in some highly improbable circumstance, someone will find out that you were in my apartment while I was half-naked and so think that you might have a physical interest in males as well?" Booth didn't let go of Zack's hands and glared at the scientist. It should be noted, in an abstract sense, that Zack was feeling aroused by this manhandling by Booth.

"I hate when you do that."

"What? Use logic to-"

"Shut up." Zack obeyed. Booth growled after a second and let go. "Fine." He ground out. "Strip. What do I care." Zack continued to take off his shirt and minutely considered Booth's reaction if Zack were to remove his pants and decided that, if Booth was this uncomfortable with Zack showing just his torso, it would probably be unwise to see how far he could push the federal officer who would most likely armed and was apparently homophobic. Zack finished unbuttoning his shirt and removed it. He looked up at Booth to see what the reaction of the other man might be.

Booth blinked and his head reared back a little. Zack was pale, like a fish's belly, and he was most definitely not the proud owner of six-pack abs but his stomach was flat and obviously well-muscled. His arms and chest were practically hairless but well-toned. Zack shift a little bit and muscles rippled under his skin. The only flaw that Booth could see was a long white jagged scar that ran along Zack's left bicep then continued across his chest. Zack seemed to notice Booth looking at the scar and crossed his arms in a way that the scar was hidden but his chest and arm muscles bulged as a result. Booth was annoyed but he still had to admit that Zack was ripped like Jesus. "Agent Booth?" Zack asked after a good few minutes of Booth staring at him in something like confused envy. Booth immediately snapped out of it. Zack seemed to interpret Booth's facial expressions as a certain level of disgust at Zack's half naked form. "I know. I'm better looking with my clothes on." Something in Booth felt bad at Zack's scientific tone for some reason.

"You're not that bad to look at." Zack shifted uncomfortably but didn't uncross his arms. Booth continued to stare. A few more minutes passed.

"Booth?"

"Yeah?"

"The game's over and the Blazers won 84-83. Do you want to watch something else or go home?" Okay, so not a few minutes and more like the majority of the second half of the game….schematics. Booth wondered how Zack could recite the game score while obviously watching Booth…stare at him.

"Um." Booth thought outloud.

"Of course, if you are too tired then you can very easily stay here for the night. I would not mind. The couch pulls out into a bed. Booth, blink." Booth blinked and shook his head to clear it.

"Sorry, my brain can't compute why a kid like you has muscles like that."

"I work-out every day. Also, I'm not a goat."

"I know it's just squints aren't suppose to work out every day."

"Why? It's unhealthy not to work out."

"But squints are all about working out their minds, not their bodies."

"The mind is part of the body. When one suffers they both do. I feel I should note that you're going to lose this argument too, Agent Booth."

"Yeah. I'm starting to see that pattern too." Booth said wryly and collapsed backwards onto the couch, groaning. He rubbed his eyes as if tired.

"I can get you a blanket and a pillow." Zack offered. Booth smiled from beneath his hand. Booth heard Zack walk away before he could answer that he didn't need it but his eyes also seemed to have the same idea as Zack and stayed closed. Maybe Booth was more tired than he thought. He had had a long week. A moment later the footsteps returned and Booth was covered with a blanket he didn't really feel because he was fast asleep. Zack went into his bedroom and took off his shoes, socks and pants and slipped, naked, into his bed. Zack preferred to not wear underwear as it was binding and restrictive to his scrotum and his penis. Also, he had had one too many experiences with wedgies when he was younger so chose to simply go, as Hodgins called it, commando.

Booth woke that Saturday morning to the sounds of the shower running and the door buzzing. He got up and pressed his thumb to the com-link, not really awake yet. "Hello?"

"Hey…is Zaddy there?"

"Who?" Booth scratched an itch on his stomach.

"Zaddy…. Zack Addy. He lives there. Who are you, pops?" Booth decided that he didn't the tone of the man whose voice was coming over the intercom.

"Special Agent Seeley Booth of the FBI, _son_." There was moment of silence and then-

"Is Zack okay? Nothing happened to him, right? He's not in any trouble, is he?" The tone of the voice was completely different, worried.

"What sort of trouble could Zack get into?"

"You're the Fed whose in his apartment…you tell me." Oh. Booth got it.

"Zack not in any trouble. He's in the shower. I came over last night to watch the game with him. I work with his boss, Dr. Brennan."

"Ah. Drew the short straw, huh?"

"Yeah, how did you-" At that moment the water to the shower shut off. "Hang on. He's getting out now. A moment later Booth could hear the other door to that bathroom open into the bedroom. A few minutes passed and Zack came out of the bedroom in a pair of pale orange shorts and a matching orange basketball jersey with his hair wet and a towel draped over his shoulders to see Booth at the intercom.

"Who is at the gate?" Zack asked.

"I didn't ask."

"Who's there? Zack raised his voice so that he could be heard. He didn't bother to cross the apartment because Booth still had his thumb on the 'speak' button.

"It's Zerbrowski. You ready yet?"

"I overslept. I'll be down in three minutes and forty-five seconds approximately." Zack half-shouted.

"Okay." Zerbrowski seemed fine with Zack's specific way of speaking which only served to further Booth's confusion over the sudden apparent mystery that Dr. Zack Addy had become.

"You can take your thumb off the button now, Agent Booth." Zack pointed out. Booth blinked. He seemed to have forgotten that the appendage was holding the line open. He immediately moved his hand. "If you would like to come and watch the game you are certainly welcomed to it." Zack walked back into the bedroom and reappeared shortly with his sneakers and socks. He sat down on the ground to put them on.

"I-"

"I would also understand if you want to go home." Zack looked up at Booth and it struck Booth how young Zack was.

"Where is it? I think I'm going go home and take a shower and get a change of clothes but I can meet up with you later."

"Alright." Zack went over to the intercom and hit the button. "Zerbrowski?"

"Yeah?"

"Where's the court?"

"Rock Creek Park. We're playing the Devils today."

"Alright, thank you. I'll just be another minute." Zack went to the kitchen and pulled out a pad of paper and a pen out to draw a map as well as write down the address of the park for Booth. "Here" He said, having ripped the sheet from the legal pad. "We'll be there. The game is at eleven. You can let yourself out." Zack then left. Booth was left to stare after his with a piece of paper in his hand. He then found his shoes under the end table and went down to his car and left for home.

* * *

**_Author After Talk_**: Booth.........his sensibilities were saved by the.........cloth of Zack's pants, weren't they? :)

Tropic


	5. Chapter 5

_**The Face with Two Skeletons**_

**_By_**: Tropicwhale

**_Disclaimer_**: Hehehe I wish.....but they're not.

**_Author Talk_**: 3:] Someone called me a genius....I promise not to let it go to my head......oops...too late.

* * *

**Chapter Five**

Once at home Booth jumped right into the shower because he stunk. It had nothing to with he was curious about if Zack actually was good at basketball. He's an honest kid but…what if he was hitting on Booth in his own way? Then he could be just putting up a front to impress Booth and he sucked at being a forward. But then why would he invite Booth if he wasn't assured of his skills? More importantly, why did Booth care? Booth was not into guys even if Zack was. Booth shook his head clean of those thoughts and soaped down quickly, functionally. He washed his hair and got out of the shower fast. A towel wrapped around his waist he went to his closet to pick out something to wear. It took him five minutes to realize that he was staring at his work/date clothes on a Saturday morning while getting ready to hang out with _Zack Addy_ of all people. Booth scoffed at himself and went to grab a pair of boxers, jeans and a tee shirt. He threw on his clothes, grabbed his favorite pair of socks, put them on, stuffed his feet into his sneakers, grabbed his keys, jacket, and sunglasses on the way out of the door, whistling. He stopped and realized that he didn't know where he was going. He unlocked his apartment door and went back inside, booting up his laptop on the way and had to dig Zack's map back out of his dirty hamper. He quickly MapQuested the park and was back out the door in a matter of seconds…until he realized that he forgot to print out the directions.

Over at the park Zack was warming up with his teammates while he tried to not glance over at the stands. Glancing over would ruin his concentration. Zerbrowski passed Zack the ball and he nearly didn't catch it in time. "Hey, Effron, get your head in the game." Their teammates chuckled. It was an ongoing joke with them. Because of Zack's youthful appearance and the fact he could sing and dance his team had taken to making High School Musical jokes. Zack was not exactly sure what that was but he knew his friends did not mean it to be cruel. Zack passed the ball back to Zerbrowski and the team did a basic zigzag pass drill up the court until Zack could shot the ball. He made the basket, no net. There was still no sight of Booth.

There was no sign of Booth because, at that moment, Booth was stuck in traffic halfway across town behind a three car accident. Booth exhaled angrily through his nose and checked the time. It was 10:45 am. He was so going to be late.

The referee blew the fifteen until time whistle and Zack sighed. "Don't worry. He'll show." Zerbrowski sat next to Zack heavily. Zack looked over at his friend and teammate. Zerbrowski was fairly common in appearance. He was a little shorter than Zack with brown hair and blue eyes, a fairly broad, defined mandible and a strong personality that made him seem larger than he was physically.

"I don't know what you are talking about, Zerbrowski." Zack looked over at the other team. The Devils were tough and known for fouling quite excessively. Zack's team, the Potomac Copperheads, had their work cut out for them.

"Oh, don't you?" Zerbrowski chuckled in a way that reminded Zack of a cartoon villain. "Hey, boys, Zaddy had a bunk buddy last night…from the FBI." Zerbrowski had the rest of the team's attention in a matter of a few seconds.

"Way to go, Zaddy. Is she hot? Tell me she's hot." Bailey, also known as Bailout, said. He was young, about his early twenties and Zerbrowski said that Bailout reminded him of a puppy that hadn't been housebroken yet. Zack assumed it was because Bailout had a bad habit of wriggling around when he was excited and often had to run to the bathroom when he was on the bench. Bailout was definitely smaller than Zack and of Aryan descent.

"It was a guy." Zerbrowski said slyly, drawing out the word 'guy' into something that made Zack's skin goose-pimple. Zack tried to block out the conversation but it wasn't working.

"A guy? Oh, yeah. That's right. Zaddy's bi." Bailout looked confused and thoughtful until Zerbrowski feinted throwing the ball pass him. Bailout looked at where the ball should have been but wasn't then growled at Zerbrowski for the trick.

"Yes, I am. There is only ten minutes until game time. Perhaps we should focus on strategy?" Zack stated as Bailout jumped onto the seat right behind Zack's left shoulder.

"Game plan Beta, Zaddy." Robbie said. He was team captain with short dark brown hair, dark tanned skin and a quiet disposition compared to the rest of his team.

"So I'm not starting…okay."

"But I am. Sweet." Bailout was wriggling in his seat again.

"Down boy." Robbie said. Bailout stuck his tongue out at Robbie so Robbie reached over to hit him light on his head with a half-opened fist. "Use it or lose it, Bailout." Bailout slurped his tongue back into his mouth. "So tell us about the new sexual interest, Zaddy." Zack looked up at his team captain.

"Booth isn't a sexual interest. He drew the short straw and we ended up back at my apartment watching the Blazers/Pistons game that I had TiVo'd. I ate ice cream and he had a few beers so by the end of the night he was tired so I told him that he could spend the night and drive home in the morning."

"Huh-uh." Williams, a middle-aged man of African descent said. His nickname was 'Othello'. Zack liked William's nickname because it suited him. Othello was a professor of Shakespearean studies at a local university and had performed the role for local theatrical companies four times since Zack had met him. Zack had gone to each production. All the Copperheads had gone. Othello made Shakespeare make sense for Zack. It was a scope that Othello used to look at humanity in general. Othello had told Zack that humans are capable of great evil and great good and sometimes you weren't sure which was which even within yourself. The combination of logic, reason, ambition, and emotion are enough to confuse anybody so Zack wasn't as bad off socially as he presumed. Othello tended to speak that way. Zack did not necessarily believe him. "He spent the night in your bed?" Othello was also very shrewd.

"No. He slept on the couch." Zack was calculating wind speed and air pressure.

"But you like him?" Keg, who was a slim half-Arabic/half-Greek man, asked.

"I work with him. Whether or not I like him is negligible."

"I bet he's better in bed than that Naomi from Paleontology is." Wineskin said. Wineskin was Greek and looked it.

"Naomi said that I was the one who's sexual prowess was questionable not hers."

"We told you Zaddy-of course she'll say that. She doesn't want to admit that she's bad in bed." Bailout said.

"No. I am pretty sure that it was me who-" Whatever Zack was about to say it was cut off by the blowing of the starting whistle. Robbie and the other players stood and stretched out their limbs

"Time to play." Zack's captain said.

"Alright. Beta. So, me, Keg, Wineskin, Othello, and Bailout. Court. Now. Zaddy be ready to trade out with Bailout and Zerbrowski with Keg." Zack nodded to show that he understood and Zerbrowski gave Robbie the middle finger and a grin. Robbie took his fore finger and his middle finger and flicked them at Zerbrowski with his palm facing inward. Zerbrowski found this incredibly funny and laughed when Robbie turned his back and took a guard position.

"Okay. Look. It's kinda obvious from the fact you invited him into your apartment for a game-"

"And ice cream and beer." Zack added.

"A basketball game, ice cream, and beer." Zerbrowski conceded. "Then you let him stay the night so he doesn't have to drive. And then you invite him to our game. Dude probably thinks that you hit on him."

"Booth is a heterosexual. He does not like males in a sexual sense." Zack said, staring down a few players from the Devils that were staring him down as well. "Those Devils are glaring at us." He observed. Zerbrowski glanced over at them.

"Wanna mess with their heads?" Zack looked at his friend.

"How? I don't see a way to-" Zerbrowski kissed Zack on his lips and laid a hand on his inner thigh. Keg and Wineskin catcalled from the court. Zerbrowski pulled back to quirk an eyebrow at Zack. "Oh. You were inferring a psychological ploy." Zerbrowski nodded, still staring at Zack. "Did it work?" Zack asked curious but not looking away from his friend. Zerbrowski looked over at their opponents.

"Yeah it worked."

"You're a cocky sonofabitch, Zerbrowski." Zack said. Zerbrowski seemed to enjoy the comment.

"Zerbrowski! Zaddy! Quit flirting and get ready to change up!" Zack nodded to Robbie and took a drink from his water bottle. He stood, waiting for a call from the referee. Three Devils that were on the court and two that were preparing to sub in for their teammates glared at Zack and Zerbrowski.

"Uh-oh, I think we hit a nerve." Zerbrowski was grinning.

"A metaphorical nerve, correct?"

"Yeah, Zack. Metaphorical." The ref blew his whistle and Zack and Zerbrowski subbed in for Bailout and Keg. Zerbrowski was a guard while Zack was a forward. It only took thirty seconds for Wineskin to pass Zack the ball and thirty-three seconds for Zack to shoot. It was at thirty-four seconds when the Devil that he was paired off against barreled into Zack sending scientist and ball sliding across the concrete of the court.

"Ow." The ref immediately blew his whistle.

"FOUL-RED-34-BLOCKING-ORANGE-17-FREE THROW!" Zerbrowski stepped up to help Zack stand.

"You okay, Zaddy?" Zack showed Zerbrowski his skinned forearm.

"Ow. I'll be okay." Zack looked over at 34 who snarled at him as the referee handed him the ball.

"You okay, son?" The older man asked as he handed the ball over to Zack.

"I'm fine. Thank you." Zack stepped up to the foul line and eyed the basket, making the correct calculations as the others lined up along the lines along the free throw lane. Zack bounced the ball once, made a slight adjustment to his body when the wind picked up and threw the ball. It went in without touching the net. The ball was handed back to him. The other players prepared to catch the rebound and Zack shot again. He made it, again, and the Devils got possession. Zack raced with the other players down the court, calculating all sorts of things. He noticed a variation that would cause their lead to be lost. "Robbie! We need to switch to Delta!" He shouted.

"Alright. Do it!" Robbie replied and the Copperheads changed their orientation. Robbie got possession of the ball and passed it to Zack. Zack saw the Devil coming at him, dribbles a couple of steps, pivots, passes it back up the court to Zerbrowski. Zerbrowski dribbles horizonally along the court. Two Devils close in on him. He does an overhand pass to Wineskin who passes it to Othello. Othello dribbles it between his legs and shifts to do a bounce pass through 27's legs to Zack. Zack dribbles it down to the three point line and does a straight pass to Robbie. Robbie shoots, misses but Zerbrowski gets the rebound in. The Devils call time-out. Robbie signals the others over to the bench. "Okay. We have a six point lead." Zack disliked when Robbie stated the obvious but he understood that Robbie did it so to keep the thoughts in his head straight. "So the Devils are going to start to get tough. Zerbrowski?"

"Yeah?"

"I want you to start to piss them off."

"What do you mean start?" Zerbrowski was a bit of a smart ass in Zack's opinion.

"Don't get caught. Othello, how's your heart doing?"

"I can play circles around these boys."

"Great. You and Wineskin I want playing a Zeta variation defense. Zaddy, I want you to take a break. Keg, see to his arm, okay?" Keg nodded.

"My arm is fine."

"It's bleeding and I don't want you to get an infection. You gave us our lead. Now all we have to do is make sure they don't score until after half-time. Bailout…you're in."

"You just want me to _bail _you _out_." Bailout grinned.

"That just sounds so wrong." Zerbrowski said. Bailout gave him a friendly push as the ref called time-in.

* * *

**_Author After Talk_**: So there's was this thing with the Devils that I wanted to use from the basketball game in the rest of the story but I can't remember how I structured it in. Also? I'm pretty sure I'm taking the story in a different direction. We shall see.

Tropic


	6. Chapter 6

_**The Face with Two Skeletons**_

**_By_**: Tropicwhale

**_Disclaimer_**: Hehehe I wish.....but they're not.

**_Author Talk_**: You people...I'm spoiling you with all these updates, I know....but I'm on a deadline. Remember, after the 12th of June, if this fic isn't finished it's going on hiatus. So enjoy the quick updates while you can

* * *

**Chapter Six**

Booth finally made it past the accident and was on his way to the park. His cell phone rang. He dug it out of the inside pocket of his leather jacket. It was Bones. He answered it. "Booth. What's up, Bones?"

"Hey, Booth. I have a question…what's FBI protocol for bodies of international victims killed in the US?" Booth started. What was Bones....wait....

"Are you writing another book?"

"I'm…working on a possible outline. I'm not sure if I want to write it out into a full novel yet."

"Would I be in it?"

"Booth, you're not in my books. I merely base certain aspects of certain characters off of interactions that I have had." Translation-he was in the books.

"I'm in the book." Booth was very happy about that. He could practically hear Bones roll her eyes.

"Booth. My question?" Bones' patent wait of ignoring things that annoy her....stay on task.

"International victims murdered in US. Got it. I have no idea."

"Oh." He recognized the tone of her voice.

"Bones, are you pouting?"

"No. Why-why would I be pouting?" She was so pouting. Booth could practically see it. He grinned.

"Because your very handsome connection to the FBI didn't pan out with the information you needed."

"That's-"

"Come on. Admit it. You're pouting."

"No. Because it's not true."

"Liar. You, Dr. Temperance Brennan, are fronting."

"I am not!"

"Are too."

"I'm not engaging in this argument with you. It's childish. Where are you?"

"I am on my way to a basketball game." Booth said slowly as he made a right hand turn.

"Oh. Who are you playing?"

"I'm not playing. I'm watching."

"Oh." There was a pause as Brennan assested the information. "I didn't know Parker played basketball."

"He doesn't. Not yet anyway." Parker would, evenually, try his hand at sports....if Seeley had anything to say about it.

"I'm confused."

"Would you like to keep guessing? Or would you like me to tell you?"

"I would…like to continue to guess. Is it a friend?" Booth considered the question.

"Slowly looking like it."

"I don't understand." Booth grinned.

"I don't really hang out with them but they invited me and it would have been rude to turn them down."

"I see…do you work with them?"

"On occasion." This was getting fun. Bones would never guess it was Zack and frankly Booth wasn't sure if Zack would want his extracurricular activities to be known to his colleagues at work.

"Have I met them?"

"Yes. Yes you have." Booth was trying really hard not to laugh. It was proving difficult.

"Have we worked with them on a case?"

"Yes."

"Which case?"

"Guess."

"Booth, that's cheating."

"We didn't establish rules, Bones." Booth laughed when Bone exhaled into the phone. He knew that she knew he was right but didn't want to admit it. He pulled into a parking lot at the park. "Look. I'm here. Gotta go."

"Bye."

"Bye Bones." Booth hung up and got out of his car. He jogged across an expanse of grass that had a playground complete with slides and a swing set to a group of four basketball courts which beyond those were several tennis courts. Two of the basketball courts were empty and one had a bunch of kids playing tag on it. The fourth and last had a game going on. Booth jogged over and slipped in on the side of a set of bleachers. Zack was on the court jogging away from where Booth was sitting.

Booth took a moment to check the portable score board. It was top of the third quarter with a score of 18-20 to the Potomac Copperheads and the crowd was getting into it. Someone sitting above Booth screamed "GO COPPERHEADS" as Zack looped around his defender and caught the ball as 34 looked at where he was when Zack's teammate feinted a pass. Zack caught it and prepped to take a shot. 34 saw what was about to happen and slid his foot just as Zack was about to release for the shot. Zack's balance was thrown and the ball went wide of the net.

"REF! FOUL! HE TRIPPED HIM!!" Booth was on his feet along with the rest of the crowd that seemed to be Copperhead fans. The referee heard Booth and nodded. He blew his whistle and called a foul on 34. Zack looked up and there was a moment where Booth and Zack made eye contact. Booth mentally swore that it was the jog across the park that had made him feel a little flush and promised himself that he would work out more. Zack gave a slight nod as he walked up to the foul line acknowledging Booth. He then took the ball from the referee and dribbled it once, looking at the net. Booth couldn't see Zack's face from where he was sitting but he would bet good money the kid was doing math in his head. The crowd went still. After a second Zack bent his knees and aimed the ball. He shot and it went in nothing but net. Booth punched the air with a closed fist in victory. It was a good shot. The referee handed the squint the ball a second time and everyone preps to go into play even the crowd. Zack repeated his motions of the first foul shot. Booth froze, his body settling into a familiar feeling of quiet, empathizing with Zack's situation. Zack prepped for the shot and went to shoot. 26 of the Devils suddenly coughed loudly and so did the Devils that were on the bench. Booth smirked. He knew something little like that wouldn't distract Zack from making the basket. Then a Devil whose number Booth couldn't see shouted.

"SHOOT!" Zack jumped, startled. The ball left his hands and arched gracefully to miss the basket by a good three feet falling harmlessly out of bounds. The ref blew his whistle and possession was awarded to the Devils. Those slimy, underhanded foul-dealing bastards dribbled and passed the ball back up the court to score closing the Copperheads' lead down to one point. The crowd groaned and Booth with them. 04 of the Copperheads called time. Zack and the others crowded around their benched players.

Zack went over to the bench and accepted his water bottle from Bailout. "They're getting wise to our style." Zerbrowski said. Othello nodded.

"So lets change it up. Epsilon with the Alpha variation on defense." Robbie said.

"That won't work. They're picking on Zaddy." Keg said.

"Then let's do a theta variation." Zack offered. Robbie made a face to show he didn't remember.

"Which one was that again?"

"The one where Bailout takes Wineskin's point position and we switch our guards with our forwards so that Zerbrowski and you are on rebound detail and Othello and Keg clear the way for Bailout to steal the ball and take it home."

"Oh, yeah. I like that game plan." Bailout grinned.

"Of course you do. Alright. You heard Zaddy. Break." Robbie rolled his eyes. The group broke up and Zack sat next to Wineskin on the bench.

"Alright. So it looks like your man showed up after all." Zack looked over at the Greek. "I saw the look you gave him when you got fouled. Zerbrowski's right. You like him."

"Define 'like'." Zack was calculating in his head how much his teammate could surmise and how to work around it so that his attraction would not be so obvious to others, like Booth, who were not as open-minded as the Copperheads.

"You find him ascetically, emotionally, sexuality and intellectually attractive." Wineskin said in his thick baritone.

"Yes. I do. However, he does not return the attraction."

"Explain."

"He's heterosexual and, last night, when I admitted to being bisexual he-I believe the term is 'freaked out'. He also was uneasy when I took off my shirt."

"You stripped in front of him?" Wineskin was smirking. Zack was convinced that all his teammates had minds, as Angela said, constantly in the gutter.

"He did not want to take me at my word that I am strong. So I took off my shirt to prove it."

"I see. Zerbrowski said that you were trying to seduce a federal officer, now I believe him."

"I am not trying to seduce Agent Booth."

"Maybe not intentionally-"

"The word 'seduce' implies an active and intentional courtship. Neither of those things can be applied. He merely drew the short straw."

"He came to your game when you asked him too."

"He enjoys basketball. Our team is very good. I thought he would enjoy it."

"Zaddy, sometimes you are just too cute for words." Wineskin looked up and let out a whoop. "Thata boy, Bailout!! Go. GO. GO" Zack looked up as Bailout jumped and slammed the ball into the basket. Zack and Wineskin leaped to their feet, cheering as Bailout dropped down from the basket. Zack noticed that Booth was on his feet too, clapping. Wineskin nudged Zack when he saw Zack was looking at Booth. "You have it bad, my friend." Zack looked at the Greek man. Wineskin clapped Zack on the shoulder at the Devils took possession. "Are you going to invite him over when we win the game?" They sat back down.

"We may lose." Zack pointed out as 34 scored, pushing past Robbie to do so.

"Bah, even better. You can cry on his shoulder about how upset you are that the big bad Devils beat you up." Wineskin pointed to the bandage on Zack's arm.

"I wouldn't do that to Agent Booth. That would be dishonest."

"Only if he does not want to be seduced."

"He doesn't find men sexually attractive so-"

"Details, my friend. Sex is sex no matter what position you do it in." Zack looked back at Booth. The federal agent was sitting down and looked very interested in the game.

"It still seems dishonest."

"Love usually is."

"I don't believe in love." Wineskin looked at Zack. Zack watched the game....or at least he pretended to watch the game so to better observe Booth. Booth was wearing blue jeans and a tee shirt, his leather jacket was thrown over the bench next to him and he wore aviator sunglasses and a watch. He seemed to be really enjoying the game to Zack.

"Believe in it or not. It's real." Wineskin said just as the ref screamed foul. Booth was on his feet with the rest of the audience screaming at the action on the court. Zack looked over to see Robbie on the ground clutching his ankle. Zerbrowski and Keg flanked him while Othello was holding an enraged Bailout from attacking one of the Devils, 18. Wineskin and Zack were on their feet too. Wineskin screamed for a time-out and Robbie was helped off the court. Halfway to the bench, Robbie waved away Keg and Zerbrowski to limp over on his own power. Booth and the crowd liked this and cheered. Robbie carefully levered himself down onto the bench and accepted water from Zack as Keg examined his ankle.

"You sprained it." Keg declared. Othello and the ref succeeded in dragging Bailout away from the larger player in time to hear that.

"He didn't sprain it. That cave-man freak tripped him." The young blonde growled. Robbie held out his hand to get him to be quiet.

"Are you going to be able to make the foul shot?" The referee asked. Robbie looked at him.

"Can we have a sub in right after I do?" The referee looked at Robbie and Robbie looked at the referee.

"Sure, son. We can do that."

"Zaddy. After I make my shots I want you to get out there…Wineskin…you're going to have to help me off the court as soon as Zack gets into play."

"Got it." Wineskin said.

"Alright." Zack added. Robbie stood with the help of Othello and Zerbrowski and limped over to the foul line. The referee gave him the ball as the rest of the team lined up alongside the free throw lane. Zack prepared to sub in for Robbie, crouching next to the score keepers table. "Subbing in for 04, Copperheads." The girl who was keeping track of subs, fouls, and time-outs nodded. Robbie bounced the ball twice, shot, and missed. Zack figured it was because he wasn't putting weight onto his hurt foot. Everyone tensed as the ball was returned to Robby. He bounced the ball once and took aim. 24 of the Devils coughed and so did the players on the side lines. Zack felt his body coil in anticipation.

"SHOOT!" 34 yelled at Robbie. Robbie didn't flinch though. He looked over at 34 and smiled. He threw the ball and it hit the backboard, balanced on the outer side of the rim. Everyone held still. Zack held his breath even though he knew it would not affect the outcome of whether or not the ball went into the basket. The ball swayed and rounded the rim of the basket twice. The crowd gasped. Robbie hopped back, looking at the orange sphere. It fell toward the backboard and went in. Robbie looked up at the sky and sighed. Zack started moving as the Copperheads took possession and Wineskin moved to help a limping Robbie to sit down. Zack was in play. He jogged out onto the court and accepted a blind pass from Bailout. Zack dribbled up the court to accomplish a layup off the backboard. Devils took possession and Zack jogged to their end of the court.

* * *

**_Author After Talk_**: I'm very hungry....I thought the world needed to know.

Tropic


	7. Chapter 7

_**The Face with Two Skeletons**_

**_By_**: Tropicwhale

**_Disclaimer_**: Hehehe I wish.....but they're not.

**_Author Talk_**: I promised....here it is.

* * *

**Chapter Seven**

Booth was enjoying the game. The opposing team was using every dirty trick in the book to get ahead and every time they did Zack's team just changed tactics and scored on them. It was brilliant. When 18 stuck his foot between 04's legs and tripped him Booth was on his feet with everyone else as all hell broke loose. 04 was helped back to the bench and Zack handed him a water bottle as the ref went over and talked to him and his foot was bandaged. Booth noticed how 18 was accepting high-fives from the rest of his team and some Devils fans. 04 stood and hopped to the foul line. Booth clapped along the rest of the crowd. 04 missed the first shot but, after a tense second the second one went in and possession was awarded to the Copperheads. Zack subbed in for 04 and Booth cheered on the littlest squint. "Way to go, Zack! Come on! Yeah!"

Zack looked over at Booth when he heard his name called and Booth gave him the thumbs up sign. Zack nodded and looked over as Zerbrowski passed him the ball. In a matter of seconds he was covered by three Devils. Zack looked around for a clear path to pass the ball and 67 grabbed the ball. The situation quickly deteriorated for Zack until both he and 67 were lying on the ground grappling over the ball. The referee quickly called jumpball but Zack did get in one good kick to the others guy's shin before they were pried apart. Othello was the one to help him up. The older man chuckled at Zack. "That was funny. He looked so stunned that you kicked back when he tried to hit you on his head that I was sure you had gotten his balls."

"I only got his shin. It was an accident. I didn't notice him trying to hit me. Now I feel less bad." Othello laughed and clapped Zack's shoulder in a way that sent Zack stumbling.

"By the way…your Olivia looks on." Othello added as he walked away to guard his man. Zack remembered when Othello gave Shakespeare's "The Twelfth Night" to Zack to read. Zack disagreed that Booth was Olivia. He was more like…Zack wasn't sure if there was a Shakespearean hero that qualified. He looked up at Booth on the stands and nodded. Booth nodded back and Zack jogged off to guard 34 as the ball was passed back into play by Keg to Zerbrowski.

The score was 24-23 Devils and there was only five minutes left in the fourth quarter. Booth was clutching his seat in anticipation. After Zack's captain (or so Booth assumed) injured his ankle the team seemed to lose heart and the Devils took advantage of it. Finally, when Booth could take it no more, 04 caught the ref's eye and signaled for a time out.

Zack and the others jogged over to Robbie and Wineskin. "Othello, change out with Wineskin." Othello sat down heavily. "Alright, boys…we've 4:20 left on the clock and down one point. We need possession and a basket. End Game." Zack and the other nodded. "If they get another basket I want the ball to go to Zerbrowski…Zeta variation on End Game." The other nodded. "Alright..on three 'Go Team'." Robbie put his hand into the center of their circle. The other did as well. "One. Two. Three."

"GO TEAM" Zack shouted with everyone else and jogged back out to the court.

* * *

_**Author After Talk**_: Yeah, it was short. But I think that I'm going to get two paragraphs of my audio homework done then I'll put up chapter eight. Tomorrow three chapters are going up. because its Friday. Hopefully by then I'll have 18-20 written and, in chapter 20, there is definately some Booth/Zack......fun. None of this teasing stuff I've been baiting you with. I'm just chumming the waters, my dears.

Tropic


	8. Chapter 8

_**The Face with Two Skeletons**_

**_By_**: Tropicwhale

**_Disclaimer_**: Hehehe I wish.....but they're not.

**_Author Talk_**: Okay...so I'd rather do this then summer schoolwork so sue me (not really, I'm only worth $60)

* * *

**Chapter Eight**

Booth had decided, five minutes of watching, that this game was intense. The Devils has switched tactics from dirty to a game of keep away. Suddenly, the Devils found themselves corralled on top of the free throw lane and 34 was forced to shoot or give up possession. The ball went in…barely and the Copperhead's 58 caught the rebound and hammered it down the court. The rest of the players chased after him but he doubled back once they all were over the half court line. He paced that line dribbling, looking for an opening and looking at the quickly disappearing time. He suddenly threw the ball across the entire court to the center that immediately turned and sank a three pointer. Booth cheered with everyone else. The buzzer sounded as the Devils took possession. The referee got the ball and the game went into two minute overtime. Booth held his breath. Someone to his left screamed "GO COPPERHEADS!" a little too enthusiastically. Booth understood the sentiment. After fifteen seconds of mad, confused scrambling Zack dribbled the ball hard toward the Devils' basket. The Devils were hot on his heels and Booth grabbed the edge of his seat. It looked like every single Devil was blocking Zack. Zack turned and passed the ball to the three point shooter behind him who then threw an overhead pass to a short blond on the other side of the court. Faster than the Devils could catch up he dribbled hard to the net. He grabbed the ball and made to shot when his two free teammates suddenly lifted him up to the basket and he dropped the ball in. Zack was there to catch the rebound and started to dribble free of the traffic jam that occurred when the basket was made. The buzzer rang and Booth jumped to his feet cheering. That move was straight out of a Harlem Globetrotters game. Booth rushed the court with the rest of the crowd as the Devil's captain walked over to the Copperhead's captain who was still sitting on the bench and shook hands. Booth glomped Zack.

"That was so intense." Zack smiled bashfully up at Booth, still holding the basketball and his hair sticking up at odd angles.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it."

"Where did you learn those maneuvers? That last one…the lift? Oh man!" Booth was enthused. Basketball was his favorite sport. Hockey, baseball, football, and soccer couldn't beat it. Okay, maybe soccer.

"Othello used to be a Globetrotter. He taught us."

"I KNEW IT!" Booth forced himself to calm down. Zack looked a little leery. Zack nodded to 34 as the other man pasted and mumbled

"Good game." Booth then noticed the bandage on Zack's arm.

"What happened?"

"I was sort of pushed down and slid over the concrete. Keg looked it over and said it was fine."

"Doesn't it hurt?" Zack shook his head 'no'. "No?" Booth laughed and ruffled Zack's hair. Another Copperhead joined them and slung an arm around Zack's shoulder and glared at Booth.

"So…this is Zaddy's federal officer." The man had a cocky smirk that made Booth want to punch him. Zack rolled his eyes and thrust the basketball into the other man's stomach hard. "OOMPH!"

"Shut-up Zerbrowski."

"Oh so this is Zerbrowski of the intercom." Booth suddenly knew why he didn't like the guy. Zerbrowski smirked at Booth.

"Yeah? And? You must be Special Agent Booth…of Zaddy's apartment." Zack pushed Zerbrowski's arm off his shoulders.

"Go return the ball, Zerbrowski." Zack did not look pleased at his friend insinuations. Booth smirked and wiggled his fingers in good-bye at Zerbrowski who was looking at Booth like something vile got stuck under his tongue. "Zerbrowski gets a tad overprotective." Booth looked back at the squint.

"Yeah. I got that." The next thing Booth knew was happening-a short blond barreled into Zack making him collide, in turn, with Booth. "OOMPH!" Zack turned to look at his assailer.

"Bailout."

"WE WON!!" The short blond kid practically screamed. "Did you see that last maneuver? Boom! Dropped it in the net. The Devils looked so shocked we could have knocked them over with a feather. Metaphorically speaking, Zaddy." Bailout added as he saw Zack open his mouth to protest. "And who are you?" Bailout suddenly stilled and stared at Booth. The federal officer was reminded of a puppy that wasn't housebroken and had caught sight of a stranger so was deciding between wagging his tail in welcome, barking in defense or wetting the carpet.

"Bailout. Booth. Booth. Bailout." Zack said by way of greeting. The scientist looked like he wanted to be anywhere but there.

"So did you have sex with Zaddy last night or not?" Zack looked at Bailout completely horrified.

"No. I'm not gay." Bailout looked very disappointed at that. He turned around and shouted over to the side of the court.

"ZADDY WAS TELLING THE TRUTH!!" Zack and Booth followed the line of Bailout's sight. The rest of the Copperheads were grouped around their captain that was having his ankle rebandaged at their bench and watching the three men. Bailout looked up at Zack. "Zerbrowski and Keg didn't believe you." Zack blinked at Bailout and Booth smothered a chuckle.

"Excuse me, Agent Booth, but I have to punch Bailout now." Zack said in his robotic tone. Booth nodded.

"I understand, Zack." Bailout's face fell when Zack turned to look at him, serious as the grave.

"Oh sh-" Bailout bolted and Zack chased after him post-haste. Booth took his time to meander over to the rest of Zack's team, keeping an eye on the surprising little squint as he ran down Bailout. Bailout apparently was in fear for his life from _Zack_ which caused Booth no end of amusement. The rest of the men were watching both Booth's advance and Bailout climb up onto the benches in a vain attempt to escape Zack. The older black man of the group nodded at Booth as Zerbrowski smirked, annoyingly.

"So you must be the federal agent that we've heard so much about." A tall, Mediterranean said. "I'm Wineskin by the way."

"Booth. What exactly did Zack say about me?" Booth was slightly freaked at this point.

"Ah…Not so much Zaddy but Zerbrowski's big mouth." the captain said from his sit on the bench. "I'm Robbie." He held out his hand. Booth shook it.

"Othello"

"Keg."

"Seeley Booth."

"Seeley? What kind of name is that?" Zerbrowski said. Booth glared at him. The other man was unaffected.

"It's the name of a guy that carries a gun and a FBI badge."

"Yeah and if you whip it out then you'll have a ton of paper work to do." Booth shrugged.

"Only if I discharge it. If I pistol whip you then there's no paperwork." Booth managed to smile and growle at him simultaneously. Zerbrowski snarled as well and faced off against Booth. Zack was dragging Bailout back to the group in a half-nelson.

"This is quite homoerotic." Othello said. The other men looked over at their older teammate. He looked over at them. "Well it is."

"UNCLE!! UNCLE!! UNCLE!!" Bailout screamed.

"Not good enough." Zack said, shifting as the blond struggled. Bailout choked a little but Zack didn't relent.

"Bailout…it's Zaddy." Keg sing-songed.

"Aw, crap." Bailout said, still struggling. "Uh, 3.1415926535897932384. First twenty digits."

"Correct." Zack let up his teammate. Booth looked at him. Zack shrugged. "Recite the first twenty digits of pi."

"3.1415926535897932384626433832795028841971693993751." Zack looked at Booth with wide-eyed surprise. The rest of the Copperheads looked at Booth and Zack and Zerbrowski exchanged a smirk with Robbie. "First fifty. I hang out with Bones too much." he explained.

"Bones?" Robbie asked.

"Dr. Temperance Brennan. My boss, she's the leading expert in the field of forensic anthropology. She helps Booth solve murders…we all do."

"The writer?" Bailout asked.

"Yeah." Booth said. "I'm in the books." He said proudly. "Zack too."

"That's not true." Zack said. "Dr. Brennan said that we weren't."

"You read those books, Zack. She adapted those characters off of all of us." Zack shrugged. Booth stopped talking. It looked like Zack was uncomfortable discussing that stuff. Robbie cleared his throat.

"So who's hosting? I want a beer and pizza." The others looked at each other.

"My house hasn't recovered from last week." Othello said glaring at Zerbrowski, Keg and Wineskin. Keg and Wineskin shrugged. Zerbrowski smirked.

"Anne's at her sister's so that leaves my place out."

"She still pissed about three months ago?" Bailout asked. Zerbrowski nodded gravely.

"Anne won't let me have friends over when she isn't home to supervise." Zerbrowski explained to Booth. "There was an incident with dry ice bombs in the kitchen." He explained and turned back to the group. "ZADDY'S!!!"

"Wait, I-" Zack tried to protest but it was too late. The others cheered and Othello and Keg helped Robbie stand and hobble across the park to the parking lot. Zack hung back to walk next to Booth as the other bounded ahead. "It's going to take me hours to clean up afterwards. Can I borrow your gun?"

"No." Booth said quickly. Then it registered to him that it was Zack that was asking for his gun and not Bones. "Why?"

"In case I need to shoot any wild animals."

"Your friends don't seem that bad."

"No. I mean actual wild animals. Winehouse works at a zoo. Last time we used my apartment there was a zebra….we had to end up putting it down. Apparently it had a disease of some sort and it threw up on my bed. I had to get new bed covers thus the purple room. Originally, it was blue. I'm still not sure how Wineskin didn't lose his job over that."

"You had to redo your entire room?"

"Yes. It was very stressful."

"Tell them no."

"We won. We should celebrate." Zack looked up at Booth pathetically. Booth laughed and slung his arm around the younger man. Zerbrowski looked back at them and smirked. Zack didn't seem to notice but Booth glared back.

"I don't like Zerbrowski."

"He's a good friend."

"Which is why I haven't shot him yet."

"Think of the paperwork."

"I am…it's starting to be worth it." Zack laughed. "Come on. I'll drive you back."

* * *

**_Author After Notes_**: .....yeah so....the sun hasn't risen yet and its 2 in the morning....I'm counting this as yesterday. There will be three later today.

Tropic


	9. Chapter 9

_**The Face with Two Skeletons**_

**_By_**: Tropicwhale

**_Disclaimer_**: Hehehe I wish.....but they're not.

**_Warning_**: LIME!!! HOMOSEXUAL LIME!!! BE WARNED!!!

**_Author Talk_**: One.

* * *

**Chapter Nine**

Zack sat in the passenger seat of Booth's car and directed the fastest way from the park to Hodgin's house. As it turned out they beat the rest of the Copperheads so that there was a train of three cars of various makes and models trundling down the private road with Booth's car in the lead. Zack got out of the car at the gate and punched in the passcode. Three-One-Four-One-Five-Nine-Two-Six-Five. He held the door open for the cars and then dodged into the gate as it closed and jogged next to the cars as they continued to move up the driveway. When he pulled even with Zerbrowski's car he banged on the window with his open palm. "I need my keys." Zerbrowski rolled down the window and tossed Zack his keys. Zack caught them and continued to run up to the side of the garage as Othello, Zerbrowski and Booth parked their cars on the roundabout in front of the . Zack left the door open and raced up the narrow stairs to his apartment to unlock the second door. The next thing he did was hide anything that was easily broken in the back of his closet. As Zack went to close the closet door he noticed that Booth had left his jacket, his tie and his belt hanging next to Zack's court jacket. Zack froze. Hodgins had once told him that when a girl left something in one's apartment it meant she wanted to come back for it. Zack wondered if that hypothesis held true for Booth. A second later his door banged against the wall and the loft was filled with sounds of men beating each other to get to the shower first. Zack shut his closet door and went into the bathroom. He poked his head out of the other door and stuck his tongue out of his mouth at his teammates. "If you insist on trashing my apartment then I call dibs on the first shower then I am taking a nap."

"Wimp." Bailout said. Zack glared at him. "Is there at least my Natty Bo in the fridge?"

"Yes. Help yourself."

"Works for me." Bailout grinned and jumped up and over the island. Zack made eye contact with Robby who was being held up by Wineskin.

"I'll keep them from burning down the place. I have Booth to help me." Zack looked at Booth.

"I'll make sure that you can nap in peace, Zack."

"Thank you." Zack shut the bathroom door and turned on the water for his shower. He went back into his room and grabbed a pair of cut off sweats from his dresser and went back into the bathroom to turn on the shower head. Zack grabbed a towel out from under the sink and tossed it onto the toilet lid. He stripped quickly, tossing his uniform into the laundry basket and stepped into his shower. But the rules of the team he had fifteen minutes. He showered quickly, not really thinking about anything and allowing his body to come down off the adrenaline high that the game had invoked in him. After he was finished stripping the dried sweat from his body and shampooing his hair Zack turned off the shower and dried off. He slipped on his sleep shorts and banged on the door that opened to the rest of the apartment. "IT'S FREE!!!" He shouted and went into his room and crawled under the covers for a nice post-game nap. It took less than five minutes for someone to come and wake Zack up. "Go away" he mumbled when a hand shook him. The shower was still going and the hand did not go away.

"Zack, wake up." Zack opened an eye to see a naked and wet Zerbrowski sitting on the bed next to him.

"Fastest showerer ever." The slightly older man grinned down at his teammate. Zack was never very intellectual sounding when he first woke up and Booth had kept him awake longer than necessary after the game finished the previous night. In other words Zack was tired and his communication skills were not up to par. "You're wasting water." Zerbrowski laid a hand on Zack's hair.

"You're wasting time." Zerbrowski replied, slipping under the covers with his teammate. Zack rolled over and Zerbrowski kissed him on the mouth. Zack quickly responded with moving his lips and tongue in a way that he knew was pleasing to Zerbrowski and spread his legs so Zerbrowski could lay in a way that would bring their sexual organs into contact. Zerbrowski grabbed Zack's hips and grinded down into them with his pelvis while thrusting his tongue in and out of Zack's mouth. Zebrowski then pulled Zack's pants off and tossed them to the far side of the bed close to the closet. Zack wrapped his arms and legs around Zerbrowski's body, well aware that any of the other men could walk in on them at any second and, for the moment, could not care for the haze of arousal that consumed his brain chemistry so entirely. Zerbrowski reached down and grabbed Zack's half erect penis. Zack held back a moan as he was stroked to full erection. Zack pulled his mouth away from Zerbrowski and stuffed a pillow into his mouth to keep from screaming. Zerbrowski chuckled against Zack's skin and kissed his way down the scientist's body, still stroking Zack's penis. On the way down Zerbrowski made sure to pay special attention to Zack's nipples and belly button. The first time he had done this, Zack was not sure whether or not he like those parts of his body being stimulated but had quickly grown to enjoy them as foreplay of what was to happen when Zerbrowski's mouth reached Zack's groin. He still was convinced that oral sex was not necessary and held great potential for disease but Zerbrowski always made sure that both he and Zack were properly cleaned before engaging in what had become for the scientist another guilty pleasure.

The second that Zerbrowski placed his mouth on Zack's erection Zack almost reached orgasm right there. "Slow down…I'm not going to last." Zerbrowski looked up at Zack's whisper and gave a particularly hard suck to the vein that ran along the base of the organ. Zack whimpered.

"I only have five minutes left on my shower, Zack…you'll have to pay me back later." Zack nodded frantically and let his teammate bring him to climax. Once it was over and done Zerbrowski went back into the shower and spat Zack's semen onto the floor of the shower. He then watched as it was washed away by the spray. Zack watched, from his bed, as Zerbrowski washed his mouth out. shut the shower off and got dressed. Zerbrowski noticed Zack watching from the open door and winked as he closed it so he could exit out the other door without arousing the suspicion of the others to their little rendezvous. Zack snuggled back into his blankets, content, and then, as Hodgins would say, passed out in a big way.

* * *

**_Author After Talk_**: By the way, "Natty Bo" is National Bohemian Beer. It's a local favorite of Baltimorans. So Bailout's from Baltimore....because I am.....and this show takes place in DC which is, like, only an hour away. The cultures of those two cities (and Richmond if you're strictly a DC human) sort of fuse. It's a metroploition area. OH!! RECORD STRAIGHTENING!! We all remember the pirate episode, right? Well, Assateague Island is not known for the Money Pit. It's known for the wild horses that are rodeo-d once a year to Chincoteague Island in Pony Penning Day. The Money Pit _is _on federal ground....in Canada. That's right, the Money Pit is actually in Nova Scotia (I think). Also, in one of the shots in that episode of a marina, you can see massive palm trees in the distance....as an east coast human I feel confident in telling you all there are no palm trees in Maryland/Virgina. I love Bones but I hate that it's filmed in LA when DC/Baltimore is the fourth largest film/theatre industry in the US and that industry is dying because of the local government being morons what with the killing of the slots (which I agree with, gamblers can go to freaking Delaware) but the film industry would bring jobs into the state and create jobs for _me, _as an actress! Stupid mortals. Til next time

Tropic


	10. Chapter 10

_**The Face with Two Skeletons**_

**_By_**: Tropicwhale

**_Disclaimer_**: Hehehe I wish.....but they're not.

**_Author Talk_**: Two.

* * *

**Chapter Ten**

Booth was enjoying a weekend game on television at Zack's apartment with Zack's basketball team that was, one by one, slowly getting cleaned while the squint himself took a nap. Booth wondered when his life got so weird. He assumed that it happened right after he was assigned Bones and the rest of her squint squad. The weird thing was the fact he was hanging out with a bunch of guys on a Saturday afternoon watching a game with a beer in hand. It was completely normal! But it involved Zack so it couldn't be normal and the paradox was making Booth's head hurt. Booth supposed that the weirdest part of the whole experience was Zack's friends. Othello was an English professor focused on Shakespeare. Keg was an EMT. Wineskin was a zookeeper. Bailout was a chemical biology major. Robby was a police officer and Zerbrowski was a public defense lawyer. They were all so…normal…mostly. Booth watched as Bailout bounced out of the shower and went straight for the DVD collection. Immediately, Keg and Wineskin jumped over the couch and spun the blond away from the rack. "Oh, no you don't." Keg said.

"We're not watching 'Star Trek' again." Wineskin said as he blocked Bailout from getting to the CD rack as Keg started picking out a DVD. In the meantime, Othello had stolen the remote from Robby, who was talking with Booth and Zerbrowski about the increase in robberies lately, and had turn the television to PBS, which was showing a special on a local staging of _Romeo and Juliet_. Keg and the other boys raced back over to the sofa and startled to wrestle the remote from Othello's grasp. Othello retaliated by shoving the remote control down the front of his pants. Keg, Wineskin, Bailout and Booth groaned at the dirty tactic. The English professor waggled his eyebrows and settled into the cushions to watch his special. Booth didn't have any time to process events before Zerbrowski furrowed his eyebrows and pounced on the black man, scrambling for the remote that was now nestled in Othello's naughty place. The older man shouted and scrambled to keep away from his deranged teammate. Bailout in the meantime had snuck back to the DVD collection and grabbed what Booth could only assume was a Star Trek movie. Wineskin saw him on his return sneak and tackled him and screamed for Keg to put the movie in. Keg reached for the DVD he had put down on the coffee table just as Robby it seemed decided to get in on the fun. The team captain, quick as lightening, grabbed the case and tossed it like a Frisbee across the room. Keg yelped and scrambled for the DVD ask Robby sipped at the beer that Booth had handed him when he had gotten out of the shower. Robby looked over at Booth's bemused expression and winked.

"It's easier than trying to stop them." He said in defense of his actions. Booth chuckled and watched as Zerbrowski straightened, triumphantly, on the couch over an exhausted Othello with open pants, holding the remote like a torch.

"AH-HA!!"

"That's just so wrong looking." Robby said casually. Zerbrowski half-turned to probably say something smart-ass which was all the opening Othello needed. The older man grabbed Zerbrowski behind the knees which caused him to a) let go of the remote and b) fall backwards to hit the coffee table and make it collapse under the force of his fall. Booth winced, understanding quite suddenly Zack reluctance in letting these men into his home. Robby winced as well but because his injured foot was resting on the coffee table when it broke and the sudden movement jarred the injury. Keg charged the entertainment unit and ended up being tripped by Bailout's flailing legs as Wineskin sat on him. Bailout grabbed Keg's movie and tossed it to a Othello that was trying avoid a very remote-intent Zerbrowski and ended up laying down in a way that covered the DVD and the remote. Robby carefully crossed his leg so that his ankle was out of the way of the now two fights going on in front of him then took a sip of his beer. Othello must have hit a button or two because the PBS special changed to a Lifetime movie starring some woman Booth didn't recognize but looked very sad and beaten up and apparently living in a bayou. All the men in the room groaned and Robby dug the remote out from under the struggling Othello and Zerbrowski to change the channel to a soccer game. Booth was agreeable to the change as were the rest of the boys. Othello and Zerbrowski stopped fighting and sat compatibly next to each other and Keg stood to go into the kitchen while Wineskin and Bailout started to collect the broken pieces of the coffee table. Keg came back into the living room with a tool box and the three younger members of the Copperheads fixed the table while everyone watched the game.

After awhile Othello stood and went into the kitchen to get everyone a fresh beer and the phone and what looked like a pizza menu. "Alright. I don't know about you young'uns but I'm hungry."

"I'm hungry too." Bailout chirped.

"You're always hungry." Zerbrowski said and threw a pillow at Bailout's head. Bailout ducked and stuck his tongue out at the older man.

"Yeah, you'd eat someone's shoe if we didn't feed you regularly." Wineskin added as he screwed a leg back into the top of the table.

"HEY!! THAT WAS ONCE!!! AND I NEVER HAD SAKE BEFORE!!" Bailout shouted and immediately was hushed by all the guys except for Booth.

"Shut up you dolt!" Keg said sternly. "You'll wake up Zaddy and you know how stressed he's been lately."

"Stressed? How can you tell? About what?" Booth asked.

"We don't know about what." Zerbrowski said.

"But it's sort of obvious." Wineskin said.

"Zaddy is kinda easy to read when you know what to look for." Robby explained to Booth.

"He has bags under his eyes and he's listless a lot." Bailout said.

"He starts to talk more-" Othello cut himself off and started making a chopping motion with his hand through the air. "Robotically."

"He's been missing games too." Wineskin said.

"He's pulled back from all of us." Zerbrowski finished.

"In short we're really worried about him." Robby added, glancing over at Booth with a serious look.

"Do you have any idea what it could be about?" Booth asked.

"We were honestly hoping you could tell us." Zerbrowski made eye contact with Booth and for Booth there was a moment where two guys who hated each other's guts understood each other perfectly.

"Is there something weird going on at work?" Othello asked.

"I…I don't really talk with Zack at work. You could ask Hodgins, Zack's landlord. They're like best friends-or best work friends, I guess. Besides, most of what we do is with corpses that are badly decomposed. He'd have to be inhuman not to get affected some of the time…I do."

"Zack doesn't look at the world like most people." Othello said. "He can compartmentalize. We watch zombie movies and he doesn't even blink."

"Zombies are nothing like corpses." Booth said, automatically. "The real thing is a lot scarier."

"I don't know. Having juicy, still decomposing corpses trying to eat me? Freaky." Keg said.

"Thank you for those nightmares, Keg, eyuch" Bailout said, throwing a screw at his teammate. The others laughed at him.

"So…meatlovers pizza anyone?" Othello asked. Robby reached over Zerbrowski and ripped the menu away from the laughing black man.

"You have a weird sense of humor, Othello." He said, looking through the pamphlet.

"I can't help it. Shakespeare rots brains….now there's a zombie for you…the Bard can't die." Robby reached over and grabbed the cordless phone as well.

"That's more of a vampire isn't it?" Wineskin asked.

"Nah, vampires have wills of their own…and Shakespeare is beyond any copyright laws so people can manipulate him and his works for whatever purposes they deem necessary. He's a zombie."

"You spend too much time in that office of yours, my friend." Zerbrowski said. Othello shrugged.

"I'm passionate."

"At least you come out of your office willingly. I had to drag Zack out last night."

"Ah, the passion of old men can't possibly contend with that of youth. I'd be more worried if it was easy to pull him out." Zerbrowski did a spit-take of beer all over the three men sitting out on the floor. Keg, Wineskin, and Bailout started to make sounds of disgust as Othello looked at the man next to him and raised an eyebrow. "Well," he said. "We know where James' brain is." Zerbrowski shot a dirty look at Othello even as he continued to cough.

"Alright, so we're getting one pepperoni, one cheese and one everything on it as well as a order of cheese bread and Cinnasticks. Everyone pony up ten bucks….even you, federal officer man." Robby said and Booth reached for his wallet.

"No garlic bread?" Bailout asked plaintively. "Or broccoli pizza?"

"NO!" his teammates yelled. Booth smirked and sipped his beer.

Later, when the pizza had come and the boys were busy being hyper and slightly destructive Booth took an opportunity to check in on Zack. He slipped over to the open end of Zack's bedroom and peaked in. Zack was fast asleep on his side with one arm under his pillow and the other under the covers clutching them to his chest like a woman would when she wanted to be modest. His shoulders were bare and it was obvious to Booth that Zack hadn't bothered with dressing before taking his nap. Booth took a sip of his third beer and was startled with someone laid their hand on his shoulder. He nearly shouted but years of sniper training stopped him. He turned to see Robby. The basketball player took a few limping steps closer to Booth and leaned on the dresser for support. "He's a good guy, Booth." Booth looked over at the other man and realized something very important about Robby."

"You're Army." Robby nodded.

"I was a Sergeant before my tours ended. Was in Desert Storm and everything."

"And now you're a cop."

"Yup. Look at my boys here like I looked at my squad back in the day. Zaddy's the one I worry about the most. He's too smart for his own good. It's going to get him in trouble someday….I don't know…maybe it already has."

"Did you know he went to Iraq?"

"Yeah. I told him not to…not just because he's a great forward and strategist but he's like my little brother."

"He wanted to look out for his sister and to do something good for his country."

"Have you met his sister?" Robby asked. "That young woman can take care of herself. Zaddy went for a whole different reason. I know Zack. He was trying to impress someone." Robby looked at the sleeping kid. "Wish I knew who it was so I can punch them in the face." Booth looked at him warily. "It wasn't until he came back that Zaddy started to withdraw from the basketball team. He barely speaks anymore and if someone doesn't come and automatically pick him up he doesn't call to get picked up….you know that he's afraid of learning how to drive, right?"

"Something about physics and structural stability." Booth shrugged it off to continue his Zack-watch. Robby snorted softly and took a sip of beer.

"Is that what he told you?"

"That's what-yeah…what, are you saying that _Zack_ lied?" Robby smirked at Booth's incredulity.

"No. Zaddy's incapable of lying. But he is capable of omitting or turning facts to suit whatever it is that he wants to the point he forgets his own motives. I'm sure he's convinced himself that the reason he doesn't drive or ride a bike is because of physics and structural stability." Booth looked over at Robby. Robby swallowed the rest of his beer and stared at the man in the purple bed.

"You wanna know how Zaddy came to join the Potomac Copperheads?"

"Sure."

"Keg and I pulled him from one hell of a wreak when he first came to D.C. Zack was riding his bike across the street and a SUV ran a red light. He was in a coma for four weeks that summer. His family came out from Michigan and everything but they couldn't stay long…that big of a family….while we were hunting down the rat bastard that was driving the SUV I sort of got close to the family and his mom asked me to watch out for him. I did and when it came time for his physical therapy to be upped I asked if he wanted to join the Copperheads. He didn't want to, said he wasn't any good at team sports, but I convinced him. Those guys out there….with the exception of Bailout they all know about Zack's accident. They all helped with his recovery. We would defend him with our lives." Booth was on edge from Robby's tone of voice. It was a soldier talking about his brother-in-arms. This man would kill for Zack…die for Zack if it came down to it. "Listen, you'd have to be half blind and living under a rock to miss Zack's crush on you and, homoerotic in nature or not, you're starting to crush on him. You hurt him-you break that kid's heart and I swear to God I'll break you. Get it?" Robby was in Booth's face but Booth wasn't about to call him on it.

"Yeah. I got it loud and clear."

"Good. Lets' leave Zaddy to his rest." Booth nodded and helped Robby limp back to the party.


	11. Chapter 11

_**The Face with Two Skeletons**_

**_By_**: Tropicwhale

**_Disclaimer_**: Hehehe I wish.....but they're not.

**_Warning_**: Fondling. Hints fpf gay sex and violence.

**_Author Talk_**: Three. Hey, kinneygirl, they were technically in Zack's bedroom at the same time last chapter, yes? You got what you asked for.... O;)

* * *

**Chapter Eleven**

Zack was woken from his nap by one of two things. The first being the loud, familiar crash of his free weights bouncing across his hard wood floor and the second being a weight on his back and a hand at his groin. Zack didn't bother to open his eyes but arched his back so his gluteus muscles pressed into the other body's sexual organs. The hand massaging his scrotum gave an extra hard squeeze. Zack buried his face into the pillow and grinned. He then turned his head and groaned. "Cut it out Bailout."

"Bailout?!" Zerbrowski hissed and gave Zack's half-erection a particularly hard squeeze that, in Zack's opinion, was partly unwarranted. Zerbrowski bounced on Zack's back causing the wind to be knocked out of the scientist. Zack smothered a giggle; however, Zerbrowksi immediately caught it. "Take it back."

"Why?"

"Because, I told you, it's considered rude to shout someone else's name while getting your sexual urges satisfied by your lover."

"Hypothetically, is it wrong when you know it is your lover and are purposely yanking their chain by yelling out the name of a person who is least likely to arouse you sexually?" Zerbrowski's body started which told Zack that either he had a mini-seizure or he was surprised. "I never understood the phrase 'yanking your chain'. Unless someone was wearing a collar as well but then wouldn't the phrase be 'yanking your collar'? And collars are usually worn by individuals engaged in sadomasochistic sexual encounters or animals. Yanking one's collar in that sense is usually punishment….in that case it why would it mean a deceptive joke? 'Pulling one's leg' is in the same context…it is very confusing to me."

"It means to use humor that results in the pranked person getting angry because dangerous and angry animals were kept on chains."

"So, it is a double insult. The initial prank and calling a person an animal." Zack asked. Zerbrowski moved his hands to places that would be considered more socially acceptable if there were other individuals to witness the private moment between the two men, Zack's shoulders.

"You know, as cute as your rambles are, I hate it when you take the spontaneity out of sex." Zerbrowski mumbled into Zack's ear. Zack put his hands under his pillow so that they and the pillow cushioned his face.

"I did it on purpose." Zack replied. Zerbrowski rolled off of Zack to land on his back on the bed next to Zack.

"Why?"

"I don't want to have sex when there are people that could walk in on us." Zack turned his head to face Zerbrowski but didn't bother with sitting up.

"We've had sex after games before."

"Yes, at your house when the others were experimenting with dry ice bombs in the kitchen. We were in your bedroom that has a door that locks."

"Zack…" Zerbrowski rolled over onto his stomach and ran his fingers through Zack's hair. "This has something to do with that federal officer…doesn't it?"

"No, he's not the only one out there."

"Zack."

"Yes, Zerbrowski?"

"You shouldn't lie."

"I try not to."

"Zack…" Zerbrowski's voice was soft, plaintive and pitying.

"He wouldn't approve."

"Why would you need his approval?" Zack shrugged and buried his head into the pillow. "Zack?" Zerbrowski scooted closer, placing his arm on Zack's back so that his hand rested on the nape of Zack's neck. Zack mumbled something that Zerbrowski couldn't quite make out. "What was that?" Zack moved the pillow so he could be heard clearly.

"I know it's not logical or his business but I'd rather not be blatant about our relationship. Past experience has taught me that he would not understand. I seem to unsettle him a great deal and it would behoove all of us that the federal officer who wields guns isn't unsettled too much."

"Zack?"

"Do you know why I applied for the graduate program here in D.C? I am a creature of habit and I had rather stayed in Michigan close to my family."

"No. You never told anyone why. We assumed…I assumed it was because working with Dr. Brennan was a good opportunity for you."

"It was. It is. I am glad I made the transition." Zerbrowski was now interested. He sat up and allowed Zack to put his head on top of pillow instead of under it.

"Then why-?"

"Bradley Oscarman."

"Who's Bradley Oscarmann?"

"The first man I ever slept with....come to think about it...he was the first person I had sex with, period." Zack said quietly. Zerbrowski shifted silently. "He was from Alabama and when we were fifteen he and his family moved to three houses down from the house that I grew up in due to his mother's promotion. I was his math and science tutor. His parents paid fairly well and with a few well placed investments I was able to pay off my final year of college and start a CD with a 16% annual compound interest. Bradley was very nice. He had brown hair and, with his southern accent, it was pleasing to hear him speak."

"What happened?"

"He kissed me first one day when we were studying for his finals and, technically, our relationship last for three years when I completed my first graduate program. He left for college and I went on to get my first doctorate and then my second. We stayed friends and occasionally, if he didn't have a significant other, we would have sex. It was my best interpersonal relationship excluding my relationships with faamily members." Zack shifted and buried his head for a moment. Zerbrowski waited with the sounds of a party in high swing going on beyond the divisional wall. Bailout was singing Karaoke. Zack turned to face Zerbrowski and his eyes were in some far off place and long ago. Zerbrowski laid his hand on Zack's head, not daring to move another muscle. Zack was rarely this forthcoming about anything before his accident.

"Zack…what happened?"

"We were visiting our families for Christmas and I had snuck over to his house and into his room on the ground floor to the back right side of the house. We talked. We kissed. He took off my clothes and we had sex. I was flat on my back with my head toward the foot of the bed which was in the direction of the door and Bradley was over me with the backyard flood light coming through the window behind him where I had entered through and I remember it was silhouetting him. He was pushing into me and we were kissing with open mouths when the door banged open. It was Mr. Oscarmann. He was screaming at us and Bradley quickly got off of from me. Mr. Oscarmann was a large individual and he was holding his shotgun. I was very afraid and got dressed as quickly as I could. Bradley was screaming too. He was telling me to leave and yelling at his father for being a bigot. The last thing I saw as I was climbing out the window was Mr. Oscarmann raising that shotgun toward Bradley asking his son who did he think he was to be doing what we were doing in his Christian house. Bradley yelled at me to run and I did. I was halfway home when I heard the shotgun go off twice. I never saw Bradley again and, after the trial where Mr. Oscarmann was convicted of Bradley's murder where I had to testify about what happened that night was over, my mother told me that it was best if I left town for awhile. The newspapers and television stations would not leave either the Oscarmanns or my family alone. They all wanted to hear about the illicit love affair that ended in my best friend being dead. I had applied to Dr. Brennan's program and was accepted so I came to Washington D.C and my family comes to visit me….although I'm not necessarily welcomed back home." Zack, whether or not he realized it, was crying. Zerbrowski used an edge of the sheet to wipe away the tears and pulled Zack up into a hug.

"Oh Zaddy." Zack recognized that he required physical comfort and was glad that Zerbrowski was there to give it. He wrapped his arms around Zerbrowski and took deep, calming breathes.

"Booth shouldn't know. He was uncomfortable when I told him I was bisexual. There's a difference between knowing a fact and seeing the proof."

"Add your attraction to him-"

"I'd rather not take that risk."

"Alright. Are you going to come out and join the party?"

"How bad is the damage?"

"Minimal."

"You are lying. You talk faster than normal when you're lying."

"Yeah, but there's pizza and beer."

"I don't drink alcohol."

"There's pizza."

"Okay." Zerbrowski rolled over and folded his hands in his lap, watching Zack climb out of bed naked. Zaddy had a nice body. He was pale and Zerbrowski was oddly attracted to the way Zack's ass and relaxed genitals jiggled as he walked over to the dresser. Zack opened a drawer of the dressers and grabbed a tee-shirt then closed the drawer to walk over to the far side of the bed to pick up his cut-off sweats from the first time Zerbrowski had come into his room looking for sex that day. Zerbrowski took the moment to slap Zack's bare ass. "Ow!" Zack yelped, turning his backside away from the grinning lawyer sitting on his bed.

"Sorry, Zaddy. Couldn't resist. You have such a cute ass." Zack glared at Zerbrowski ask he slipped on the sweats then the bright orange tee-shirt. Zack glared at him. Zerbrowski laughed and sighed. "Alright, alright. I'm sorry, Zaddy." Zerbrowski stood and grabbed Zack's arm. In under two seconds Zack was in a fireman's carry up on Zerbrowski's shoulder.

"AHH!" Zack yelped as Zerbrowski carried him out into the party.

"HEY! Look who's up!!"

* * *

**_Author After Talk_**: I'm tired. I've had a long week and I'm going to bed.

Love from the Dorkside;

Tropic


	12. Chapter 12

_**The Face with Two Skeletons**_

**_By_**: Tropicwhale

**_Disclaimer_**: Hehehe I wish they were mine.....but no, they're not.

**_Author Talk_**: bonus four...........intro external plot

* * *

**_Chapter Twelve_**

Monday came predictably two days after that surreal Saturday that Seeley Booth spend being friends with Zack Addy and the world within the Jeffersonian was the same as it has always been; Zack was back in limbo and Booth was half the city away in his office at FBI headquarters.

Someone had put the remains that Zack was studying back into its bin and back into the shelves. Zack retrieved the files first and then got the bin. He put on white plastic gloves and carefully removed the skull from the clear plastic box and placed it at the top end of examining table. He then carefully removed the ribs and spinal bones arranging them onto the table as well. Next, out came the pelvis, the humerus and ulna bones of the left arm and the right scapula. Then both femurs, the left tibia, the right fibula, and a patella. There was also all the bones of the right hand and foot. The last to come out were the vertebrae. Zack took his time arranging the bones carefully and correctly. When he was nearly finished, Dr. Brennan appeared in the doorway. Zack remained focused on the skeleton however and took no notice of his boss under she was standing right next to him. "Have you learned anything new about these remains?" Zack nodded and steepled his gloved fingers then used both his hands to indicate the remains.

"Yes. The subject's pelvis suggests that she was pregnant some time before death and hemorrhaging stains on the ribs and the atlas and axis vertebrae indicate drowning."

"Are you sure?" Dr. Brennan was already putting on white gloves to examine the body.

"Not since you asked that question." Zack frowned and dropped his hands to his sides.

"There's evidence of teeth marks along several of the bones." Dr. Brennan was already moving a large magnifying glass over to the examination table.

"The remains were found in a swamp. It stands to reason that she would be chewed on by possums and other fauna indigenous to the area."

"Correct." Brennan picked up the fifth rib on the left side. "However, these bite marks are too large for any species found in Alabama swamps." She put the rib back and picked up the fibula. "I recognize these bite marks. These are from an alligator."

"There are alligators in Alabama." Dr. Brennan looked at Zack. "I had a friend from Alabama when I was a teenager. He said that they were lots of them if you knew where to look." Dr. Brennan looked back at the bone in her hand.

"Hmm." She looked vaguely interested in the way that she did when she learned something new. "I did not know that."

"Learn something new every day." Zack replied. Brennan looked over at him and smiled. Zack smiled back. Just then Booth walked in.

"Hey Bones! Zack." Booth said striding over to the table.

"Booth."

"Agent Booth" the squints greeted. Dr. Brennan handed the fibula back to Zack who placed it back on the table and picked up the pelvis to examine.

"We got a murder." Booth said, trying not to smile.

"You couldn't call me and tell me this?" Brennan asked. Zack looked over at them and smiled wryly at Brennan's slightly annoyed tone.

"You shouldn't be that happy, Agent Booth." Zack pointed out.

"Shush, both of you. Come on, Bones. We got a forty minute drive ahead of us!" Brennan shook her head at Booth's actions. He was acting like a child at Christmas. Brennan was already following Booth out of Limbo when she turned back to Zack.

"Zack, put the remains away and inform Dr. Saroyan about this new case." Zack nodded.

"Yes, Dr. Brennan." Brennan walked out and Booth gave Zack an friendly, apologetic smile when Zack sighed. Of course when Booth left Zack had to sit down on the floor for five seconds because his knees gave out at that smile. When five seconds were over Zack shook his head to clear it and stood to put away the bones. There was work to be done.

Forty minutes later found Booth and Brennan at a Baltimore college looking at a bizarre statue with a human skull with mandible, arms, hands, and feet bones, rib cage with a set of skeletal wings. The bones were completely covered in what looked like rusted iron. The sculpture, without the wings stood about two feet above the ground due to the lack of legs and pevis, with outstretched arms and face pointing toward the open sky. The wings were about five feet apiece and also flexed skyward. Booth thought it looked creepy. Uniformed police from the university and the local cops were there and Booth could see several people who looked like they could be artists giving statements and being general onlookers. Booth and Brennan were allowed entrance to the scene when Booth flashed his badge.

Brennan had put on her overalls and was in the process of putting on white gloves to better examine the supposed remains. "HEY!" One of men talking to the cops darted away from his assigned officer and toward Brennan, pointing angrily. Booth stepped into his path to protect his partner so she could do her job and examine the sculpture. The guy was at least as tall as Booth with a black tee-shirt and dreadlocks down to his waist. He had a series of earrings along the cartilage in one ear and on in his right nose and one on the side of his lower lip. He also had a tattoo on his neck that Booth recognized as a combination Chinese symbol for harmony and fire. There was a flaming skull on the inside of his right forearm. "She shouldn't touch that!"

"She's a forensic anthropologist. Who are you?" Booth said, folding his arms and purposely making his jacket strain over his arm muscles. The guy dropped his arms for a brief second before clasping them back on the top of his head.

"I'm the artist of that piece." Booth pulled out his pad of paper.

"What's your name?"

"Michael Santi." The guy was looking at Booth but really watching the woman handling his sculpture. His hands were clutching his hair frantically.

"She's not going to hurt it. Focus on me, Michael." Michael looked briefly at Booth but his eyes soon traveled back to Brennan.

"That's my thesis. I've been working all semester on it." He whined.

"It's definitely human." Brennan's voice called over. Booth turned so he could look at Brennan but keep Santi in his line of sight. "Caucasian, age is difficult to determine. I'm going to need to take it back to the Jeffersonian to clean the remains and-"

"NO!" Michael was distraught.

"Where did you get the bones, Santi?" Booth asked.

"I found them in the garbage. They were really white and clean so I figured somebody just threw away an old anatomy skeleton!" Brennan walked over to the two men.

"What did you use on the skeleton to make it look like metal?" She was all business.

"It's this special paint-glaze thing that I mix up. It has a high content of iron filings so that it will rust and give an aged look to the piece."

"Do you know how to remove it?" Brennan asked.

"I don't know…paint thinner? I never tried. My thesis…." Michael's eyes traveled to the officers starting to pick the sculpture up and carry it to a waiting van. "Can I at least take a few pictures of it to show my teacher the progress I made if you have to dismantle it?" He pleaded. Brennan and the other officers looked at Booth.

"Yeah, sure. Go ahead." Michael started toward the statue then stopped short horrified.

"I don't have a camera!" He wailed. Booth was starting to get tired of this guy. A woman with pink hair and a green shirt ran over to Michael from the sidelines, holding a pink camera up.

"Here Michael, you can use mine." Michael grabbed the girl by her left hand and, kissing the palm, took the camera out of her other hand. "You're also going to need the initial police report to get Guiler off your back." She added. Michael nodded and took what seemed to be several hundred pictures of the sculpture. Next, he nodded to the two police officers to take the statue away and took pictures of them loading it into the back of a police van. Booth rolled his eyes as Brennan just watched passively.

"Hold on!" Brennan called out suddenly then walked over to Santi. "Did you find all the bones or just the ones in the finished sculpture?"

"It's far from finished." Michael protested.

"Answer the question. Please." she insisted.

"I-I found bits and pieces. Some made into the sculpture and some I threw out again."

"Did you find and keep the pelvis?"

"Uh, yeah. I painted it as a tester and then gave it to my roommate to hang in our dorm."

"I'm going to need the pelvis to figure out gender." Brennan turned back to Booth. "He's going to need a police escort to his dorm to retrieve the pelvis and any other bones he might have." She turned back to Michael who looked resigned.

"That might be a problem. I gave them away. Everyone in the department has a bone or just about."

"Michael's glaze mixture is very impressive. It was sort of a first for everyone to see." The girl said.

"And who are you?" Booth asked.

"Sandra Novak. I'm a painting track. Michael gave me half a gallon of the paint to finish my project for Landscaping class."

"You landscape in an art class?" Booth asked.

"I paint landscapes in an art class." She corrected, being snotty about it too. "I'm using Michael's paint to show how our industrial based society can take over everything through use of dark and stormy paint colors. I'm painting a field. I wanted the hills to have a rusty look to them so I asked Michael! God, you scientific types take things so literally! Michael, just get the camera back to me when you can!" With that, Sandra Novak stormed off.

"Geez, I heard that artist types were high-strung but this is a little crazy." Booth whispered to a uniform. The officer nodded in agreement.

Then, apparently deciding that her job was complete, Bones walked back to federal issue SUV parked in the faculty parking lot. Booth, who was watching Michael Santi back to making a scene over a grade, glanced over to notice his partner wasn't anywhere to be seen. He looked around to find her walking over to the SUV and had to jog to catch up.


	13. Chapter 13

**_The Face with Two Skeletons_**

**_By_**: Tropicwhale

**_Disclaimer_**: Mine? Who's been saying that wonderful lie? oh...ignore them, they lie like rugs. Bones and all things associated with the show belong to other people...dammit.

**_Author Talk_**: I had relatives come in from India and two of my cousins graduating high school and a great-uncle's birthday plus homework. I'm sorry I didn't update. Next few days I'll catch up though.

* * *

**Chapter Thirteen**

Zack prepped the main lab for the corpse, informed Dr. Saroyan who told him to inform Angela and Hodgins which he did. When all that was finished he decided to take his lunch break. He had macaroni and cheese with a baloney sandwich and an apple juice. Hodgins slide into the seat next to him at the cafeteria and Angela slide into the seat across from Zack. Zack looked up at them then swallowed his mouthful of food. "Hello."

"Hey Zack." Angela said, putting Italian dressing on her walnut and brie salad while Hodgins nodded around a mouthful of burger. Hodgins swallowed as Zack took a bite of mac-and-cheese.

"So, I'm glad to see that Booth didn't kill you this past Friday." Zack glanced over at his friend's smirking face and Angela who was smiling as well. Zack went back to eating his mac-and-cheese.

"How did your date go?" Zack asked. Hodgins' smile became a little strained as did Angela's.

"How'd you hear about that?"

"I was in the car when Booth called you on an update of the rules and the passcode." Zack put down his mac-and-cheese and picked up his sandwich. He took a bite of the sandwich and wasn't looking at Angela or Hodgins.

"It went fine."

"I didn't hear you come home Saturday." Zack chanced a glance at Angela. She was looking at Zack and took a sip of her raspberry flavored water.

"We decided to go to New York for the weekend. We didn't get back until late last night." Just then Dr. Saroyan walked up and sat next to Angela. Zack noticed that she also was having flavored water but it was lemon-flavored and she was having a broccoli side-salad with a sausage and mushroom pizza slice.

"Tough case." she said. "The skeleton? Partial and part of a sculpture…and rusted. It's on its way here now."

"Partial?" Zack attempted to confirm that his hearing didn't need to be checked.

"A sculpture?" Angela was intrigued.

"Rusted?" Hodgins asked, incredulously.

"Yes. Yes. And yes. Booth said the artist found the skeleton in a dumpster, painted with special paint that rusts and turned it into his thesis." Dr. Saroyan confirmed all three at once.

"Cool." Angela said.6t

"Definitely." Hodgins agreed.

"Define partial." Zack stated.

"Partial as incomplete."

"What parts are missing?" Zack asked.

"I don't know, Zackaroni. You'll just have to wait and find out with the rest of us." Zack sighed through his nose and started to calculate ways of removing rusting paint from a skeleton. "Zack…I wasn't aware that sandwiches are eaten with the help of forks." Zack started out of his mathematics induced trance. Zack looked down at his lunch. His sandwich was decimated. His friends started to laugh. Angela snorted which caused Zack to grin with the rest of them.

"I'm trying to figure out how to remove the paint." He explained.

"You better not! I want a crack at the rusty skeleton first!" Hodgins sounded shocked.

"Of course. I wouldn't want to interrupt protocol." Dr. Saroyan pointed her fork at Zack.

"See, that is why I like you, Zack. Unlike these two who would have sex in the storage room." Zack got the feeling that comment was less about him and more as a dig toward Angela and Hodgins.

"That was a good sex tape, though. Like celebrity quality." Angela added.

"Really? Seen a lot of celebrity sex tapes?" Hodgins asked jokingly.

"You have heard of the internet, right?" Angela smirked and popped a grape tomato into her mouth. Dr. Saroyan rolled her eyes. Jack shifted and smiled. Zack tried to figure how to removing rusting paint from a partial skeleton and how to salvage his perforated sandwich. Without a spoken word between them Hodgins pushed a quarter of his fries over to Zack's tray, Angela moved half her salad and Dr. Saroyan gave up her broccoli salad. Zack looked at the offers and the smiles of his friends feeling the same frustration he felt Friday night when Booth was upset with what their waitress had said and discovering Zack's bisexuality.

"I wish you wouldn't do that. I'm not a little kid that needs looking after all the time." Zack stood and walked away. He would regret it later when his stomach growled and his concentration wavered from lack of nutrients but right now Zack was so angry that he really wasn't thinking straight. He banged his way down to Limbo and quickly got out the woman whose bones he had been examining for the last week. It seemed that every time he felt he was close to a breakthrough with the remains one of his well-meaning friends would come in and swept him away to make sure he didn't pass out. It was very frustrating.

He arranged her bones carefully, calming down in the process. Anger wasn't rational. It did nothing but distort the facts as they presented themselves. He was lucky to have friends now; a lot of friends. When he was little Zack remember doing nothing but schoolwork and whatever activity his parents had enrolled him in to integrate him socially. Each attempt failed until he had to tutor for book money which was when the Oscarmanns hired him. Zack's intellect had not served him then either and he lost his only friend, his best friend. His concentration was wavering as he expected it to. His emotions were not under control and he would need his wits about him if he was expected to help at all in the death of the partial skeleton. He straightened a femur and then looked at the body from the foot end of the skeleton back up toward the skull. There was something odd about the pattern of the hemorrhage stains on the ribs….mainly that there appeared to be a pattern. Zack took one of the ribs and carefully laid it under a high-powered microscope. There was chipping along the ribs that coincided with the staining. There was something else odd. The bone didn't look as old as it should…Zack supposed it was because of the ultraviolet light that the Jeffersonian treated the specimens down here in limbo with. Zack removed the rib and picked up another. There was the same chipping and the same atypical pattern to the staining. Someone tapped Zack on the shoulder. He…yelped and turned away from the microscope to see Angela. "Alright, Zack" She said, thankfully ignoring his yelp and crossing her arms with a smirk. "What's the matter?"

"I don't think this woman died of drowning." Zack frowned back at the skeleton to hide his embarrassment at being startled by Angela.

"Uh-huh. I meant what happened in the cafeteria, Zack. That outburst was completely unlike you."

"I know. It wasn't rational. I'm sorry."

"Zack, you don't have to turn into Brennan. You don't have to rely on logic all the time." Zack sighed and tried to focus on the skeleton but Angela wouldn't let him. "Zack, we're your friends…you're allowed to blow up at us sometimes. It's normal to. Come on…the skeleton sculpture is upstairs."

"I'll be up in a minute." Angela nodded and left. Zack put the skeleton back in her box and went upstairs to join the others. He ran his card through the identifier and walked up onto the platform. What he saw was a blackened and rusted skeleton with a five foot wingspan and bolted together about five metal rods through the base off the statue.

"Zack." Dr. Brennan greeted. Zack got a pair of gloves out and walked over to her and the examining table.

"Wow. This is so cool. I like the hellish representation of an industrialized culture through a tortured soul crying out to heaven. The artist should get an 'A' on his thesis or I'll eat my left shoe." Angela said, sketching the face onto a notepad.

"You got all that from this?" Booth asked, pointing at the remains. He was standing in a corner of the platform as far from the creepy peice of art as he could get.

"Well, I think it's creepy." Dr. Saroyan said. Zack examined how the wings were attached to the scapula.

"These wings are bolted on. Three-Quarter inch bolts." He said out loud.

"Everything is bolted together." Dr. Brennan informed him. That was frustrating.

"We're going have to unscrew every bone." Zack stated, with no small amount of disgust.

"And unglue the feet from the base." Angela said, looking up from her sketchpad. Zack groaned. Hodgins patted him on the back comfortingly. Zack was the one who was going to have to unglue and unbolt the statue. "Okay." Angela added. "I sorta did a non-gender specific sketch."

"Without the pelvis, it would be impossible to identify the remains as male or female." Dr. Brennan informed the room. Hodgins was taking a scraping of the paint to analyze.

"Well, either way….this skeleton used to be a very attractive person." Angela showed the sketch to everyone. Zack stopped cold and started to back away from the remains.

"Alright. Run it through the database to see if it matches any missing person." Dr. Saroyan said. "Zack? What are you doing?"

"I'm backing away from the remains."

"Why?" she asked. It was a valid question.

"The picture won't match anyone on the missing lists." Zack said. "She's not technically missing."

"What do you mean, Zack?" Brennan asked. "Do you recognize Angela's sketch?"

"Anne Zerbrowski. She's suppose to be visiting her sister for two weeks….but really she was at a spa."

"You knew the victim?" Angela asked.

"Yes, she was very nice to me." Zack was still backing away from the examination table. He didn't want to get yelled at for tampering with evidence.

"Wouldn't you want to help figure out what happened to her?" Hodgins asked.

"I can't. It would impede the investigation." Zack well remembered what had happened when Hodgins didn't tell anyone that he knew the victim and his wife. Zack turned to look and looked at Booth. "I'm going to be your prime suspect, Agent Booth." Booth looked confused and wary.

"Why?"

"I have something to gain if Anne's dead." Zack explained. Booth was starting to look angry now.

"What's that?" he asked. Booth was gearing up from a neutral to his federal agent persona. Zack was sort of afraid of that persona.

"I have been having an affair with her husband for a year now."

"You were having an affair with the victim's husband?" Dr. Saroyan asked for clarification. Zack turned to face her.

"Yes. He's on my basketball team and we're friends. It was a natural progression due to our mutual physical attraction."

"Mutual physical attraction?" Dr. Saroyan asked, her voice sounded a little close to cracking.

"Friends?" Angela added.

"Basketball team?" Hodgins finished.

"Yes. Yes and yes." Zack answered all three questions in the positive.

"Since when do you play basketball with a lawyer?" Hodgins asked. He looked confused and betrayed.

"Since I came to D.C to study under Dr. Brennan." Zack said. "There is also a biology major, a zoo-keeper, a English professor, an EMT, and a policeman on the team as well."

"Diverse group." Angela said.

"Yes. We are. We're also really good." Zack was starting to feel the same way he did when the police knocked on his door asking to talk about the disappearance and apparent murder of Bradley Oscarmann. Zack hadn't even told his parents about his attraction for both males and females then, in less than four hours of the police starting to ask him questions, his and Bradley's faces were plastered all over the local evening news. "Is any of this a problem for any of you?"

"That you play basketball or sleep with married men?" Brennan asked.

"Either. Both." Zack clarified.

"No." She went back to her job of studying the remains.

"Uh…no." Dr. Saroyan looked a little wide eyed. "Now, if you all will excuse me. I have to make a few calls to find your replacement for this case, Zack." She walked off the platform.

"Not at all sweetie." Angela walked over and gave him a kiss on the cheek and a hug. She then also returned to her office.

"I'm a little disappointed." Hodgins admitted.

"How so?" Zack was curious.

"You're a jock, man. And here I thought you were smarter than that." Zack smiled at that. Hodgins was very vocal with his dislike of athletes.

"I'm a jock. And I used to play basketball." Booth interjected. Hodgins snorted and waved him away.

"Yeah, but that's expected." Booth gave him a look that, in Zack's opinion, asked whether or not Hodgins was serious and whether or not Booth ought to risk punching him. "Besides how good could Zack be?"

"I'm very good. The Copperheads are second in the league and favorite to win the Championship."

"Really?" Hodgins still wasn't convinced.

"I play forward and help with tactical stratagem." Zack insisted.

"He's actually really good, Hodgins. The Copperheads won in overtime this past Saturday." Booth came to Zack's rescue.

"You saw him play?" Hodgins was incredulous.

"Yeah. He invited me." Hodgins looked from Booth to Zack.

"How come you never invited me?"

"You never asked." Zack said.

"I didn't know you played." Zack shrugged.

"I'm going back down to Limbo to continue examination of Remains PX0-336, Dr. Brennan. Is that okay?"

"Of course, Zack." Zack nodded and left. As he was leaving he heard Dr. Brennan tell Hodgins to examine the make-up of the paint to find out what was the best way to remove it from the bones. She then remarked that she was going to require a ratchet to remove the bolts. He was out of the doors to the main lab when Booth called his name. Zack stopped and turned around to see Booth running toward him.

"Yes?" Zack asked. He was feeling very…upset right now and the last thing that he wanted was to deal with Special Agent Seeley Booth. Seeley stopped when he could speak to Zack without having to raise his voice.

"Come with me."

"Why?"

"Because I want you to help me tell Zerbrowski that his wife's dead." Zack shifted uncomfortably.

"The investigat-"

"Bones and I'll take care of that. But informing the family isn't really part of the investigation now is it?"

"You and Dr. Brennan ask questions when you tell the family."

"And I'll ask the questions. Since you're a….friend of the family I'm going to need to ask you stuff as well. Might ask well be all at once." Zack nodded. That was logical.

"Should I call all the Copperheads and tell them to met us at Zerbrowski's house if you're going to be asking questions of everyone?"

"Nah, besides, you said it yourself. You and Zerbrowski are the primary suspects. Everyone else isn't really that pressing to question." Zack resisted the urge shove his hands in his pockets. He knew it would looked like he was hiding something.

"I didn't do it. Just for the record." Zack said. Booth wrapped an arm around Zack's shoulders as they started to walk toward the exit.

"Zack, for the record, I don't think it's in you to kill anybody." Zack agreed...it didn't mean that he wasn't the reason people were dead.

"But you have to do your job."

"Exactly." Zack understood. Sometimes, no matter how unpleasant, you had to do what you had to do.

* * *

**_Author After Talk_**: There you go. More to come.

Tropic


	14. Chapter 14

**_The Face with Two Skeletons_**

**_By_**: Tropicwhale

**_Disclaimer_**: Mine? Who's been saying that wonderful lie? oh...ignore them, they lie like rugs. Bones and all things associated with the show belong to other people...dammit.

**_Author Talk_**: It's going to speed up now. :) Enjoy!!!

* * *

**Chapter Fourteen**

Zack knocked on the door of Zerbrowski's house with Booth standing off to the side and behind him. That made Zack nervous. Zerbrowski opened the door and grinned when he saw Zack. "Zaddy! Hey!" He opened the door wider to let Zack in and saw Booth. Zerbrowski's face fell. "What's going on?"

"Mr. Zerbrowski, may we come in?" Booth was all business and flashed his badge. Zerbrowski was immediately on edge.

"Yeah. Sure. Come on it." He opened the door fully to let Zack and Booth inside. Zerbrowski shut the door as Zack led Booth down to the living room.

"It's interesting that you'd be home at two o'clock in the afternoon on a Monday." Booth observed. Zerbrowski caught up with Zack and Booth and sat on his favorite brown leather Lazy Boy recliner. Booth sat on the couch and Zack walked into the adjoining kitchen to grab a soda from the refrigerator.

"I work from home on Mondays and Fridays. Unless I have a case that's going to trial I find the comfort of my own home helps with my research and stuff."

"Technical terminology." Booth grinned.

"I hate lawyers that use the big words to describe simple stuff. It took me months to convince Zaddy and Keg to use the small words when talking about body parts."

"It still hasn't worked on Zack." Booth observed. Zack sat on the love seat and sipped at his can of diet Sprite. Zerbrowski looked over at Zack who looked back at his friend.

"Yeah, well, Zack's special." Zerbrowski observed in what Zack assumed was suppose to be a secretive seductive look. However, it was ineffective given the present circumstances and, more importantly, Booth caught the look and how it caused Zack discomfort.

"Look, Mr. Zerbrowski, there's a reason for us being here as I'm sure you're aware-" Booth started, trying to stick to professional behavior.

"Yeah, I figured when you started calling me 'Mr.' and flashed a badge. " Zerbrowski shot out sarcastically. Booth looked at Zack. Zack figured that was his cue to tell the truth.

"Anne's dead." Zack said. Zerbrowski took a long beat of silence. Booth looked at Zack, annoyed.

"What?" Zack shrugged.

"A body was discovered in Baltimore this morning, Mr. Zerbrowski. When it was brought back to the Jeffersonian for examination….Zack identified the body as your wife's. I'm sorry." Zerbrowski looked between Zack and Booth.

"Is this some kind of sick joke?" Zerbrowski started to stand.

"No. You know I don't joke about this sort of thing." Zack said. Zerbrowski collapsed back into the seat. "Angela sketched the face of the skull that was found in a none gender specific way. I recognized the picture as Anne."

"What?" Zerbrowski was hyperventilating. Zack was next to him in a second helping him to bend over and place his head between his knees to increase blood flow to his brain and slow his breathing.

"Did your wife have any enemies? Any reason to fear for her life?" Booth asked. Zerbrowski shook his head.

"She was suppose to be at her sister's." Zerbrowski said.

"She doesn't have a sister." Zack said told Booth, again.

"Why would she lie?" Booth asked

"She hates my long hours and gets bored stiff someti-I guess it's hated and got….oh god." Zerbrowski covered his mouth then ran his hands over his face to cover his eyes. "She hated that I was working all the time and really had nothing to do so she would take these constitutionals. I hired a private detective at one point because I thought she was cheating on me. She probably was but he found her at a spa for the full three weeks she was gone so I dropped the issue."

"Three weeks at a time?"

"More or less. She would come home with new energy so I never called her on it. She had her own money. Trust fund…so there was no paper trail on my books and we kept separate accounts." Zerbrowski shrugged. "She wasn't due home for another week."

"When was the last time you saw your wife?" Booth asked.

"Uh…day she left? The night before? She left early in the morning...I try not to wake up before eight…."

"You invited me over later that day….it was the fifth. You made guacamole and drank that Mexican beer with a lime wedge." Zack said. Zerbrowski nodded. Booth made a note in his notebook.

"What did you invite Zack over for?"

"Watched a game." Zerbrowski answered quickly.

"So it wasn't for sexual favors?" Booth asked. Zerbrowski looked up at him, enraged.

"I told him once I knew it was Anne." Zack said. "I'm not going to be able to help with the case….it would have come up sooner or later that we were having an affair, Zerbrowski...and I had something to gain if she died." Zerbrowski looked at Zack, furious.

"What are you saying? That you killed Anne?"

"No. But you know that the defense would go for it. You would. The entire trial and investigation would be impeded if I withheld information and we would have gone to jail for it."

"And after all the stink you made Saturday about hiding it from him." Zerbrowski pointed at Booth. Zack shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

"Circumstances-" Zack started.

"Whatever Zack." Zerbrowski cut him off then looked at Booth. "I didn't kill my wife over _Zack_." Booth glanced over at the squint that seemed to have shrunken in his seat in further discomfort. "She was probably cheating on me too. I can give you the name of the private investigator that I hired so he can tell you the name of the spa she was at. I suggest you start there." Zerbrowski stood and indicated the way out.

"Thank you, Mr. Zerbrowski. We'll be in touch." Booth stood, grabbed Zack and let themselves out. Booth shoved Zack toward the passenger side of the car and stormed over to the driver's side. Zack let himself into the car and buckled up as Booth slammed the door, shoved on his seat belt, and ripped on the ignition to get the SUV working. They were driving out of the neighborhood before the federal officer said anything. "WHAT A JERK!" Zack flinched and shrunk in on himself. Booth slammed on his breaks to stop at a stop sign which would have slammed Zack into the windshield had the scientist not been wearing a seatbelt.

"He isn't usually." Zack defended his friend. "Studies show that anger is part of the grieving process."

"Don't defend him, Zack."

"I'm sorry. I feel obligated because he's my friend and just lost his wife."

"He's also your boyfriend."

"We're not dating. It's a purely physical aspect of our relationship." Zack corrected. He was feeling nauseous. "Agent Booth…please pull over…I feel sick." Booth spared a glance at Zack. The kid looked green. He pulled the car over. Zack barely waited for the car to stop before he was unbuckling his seat belt and opening the car door. Zack fell to his knees and vomited up his incomplete lunch. Booth was by his side after he put the car into park and got out.

"Zack? Are you okay?"

"No." Booth exhaled through his nose. Alright, stupid question. Booth patted Zack's back as he dry heaved a few times. Booth stood and went looking for an unopened bottle of water to give to Zack. He found one in the back seat of the truck.

"Here, use this to clean out your mouth." Zack opened the bottle and rinsed his mouth out. Booth put his hand back onto Zack's back.

"Thank you, Agent Booth. I don't know why I suddenly felt so sick." Booth helped him stand and move away from the puddle of vomit.

"I think I do." Zack looked at him. The kid still looked pale and drawn. "Your lover just got angry at you for identifying your wife and said that you weren't worth killing for. That's got to hurt."

"It's illogical for me to feel upset about that. It's a good thing that I'm not a reason to kill for."

"Zack, you're worth killing for." Booth said honestly. "Now whether or not people should kill for you is the question."

"I don't understand."

"Let me put it another way. I'd kill for Parker, my son, but that doesn't mean I go around all the time shooting people that try hurt or threaten him."

"You shot that clown."

"It was an ice cream truck and that wasn't about Parker...that was about a serial killer that threatened Parker and Bones but you get my point."

"I think so. What you're saying is that murder is wrong but my worth…no, I change my mind, I don't understand." Booth smiled.

"Murder is wrong but people care enough about you to go to extremes. Look at your basketball team…look at the squint squad. They all care about you. If your life was threatened…I might even be persuaded to kill for you myself."

"Really?"

"Yeah, Zack. And if Zerbrowski really cared about you he would have left his wife to be with you."

"I probably wouldn't have liked that. Anne was nice and if Zerbrowski left her she would have been upset. I don't like to upset people. Besides, I don't understand the monogamy impulse. Statistically-"

"Zack." Booth shook his head. "It's a management thing. Can you imagine your parents having multiple lovers and not knowing who your biological parents were?"

"I would probably be able to figure it out with DNA testing."

"But what if they all didn't want to do that and just all claim you equally as their child? What if one of them had a family history of heart disease and another had diabetes and another had a history of mental deterioration and you didn't know which history to protect yourself from?"

"That would be frustrating."

"Not to mention remembering all those birthdays and multiple anniversaries? You wouldn't have time to do anything else."

"That makes sense."

"And, you don't have to have one person fulfill all your needs but doesn't a donor only need to have the majority of qualifications to lower the chance of organ rejection?"

"Yes."

"Same thing with love. You just need a majority. It doesn't need to be perfect…but it needs to be a match." Zack nodded.

"Agent Booth?"

"Yes Zack?"

"You just won an argument against me." Booth grinned. "I'm also tired….would you mind taking me home? I'm not feeling well."

"I actually have to work…but I can call Angela and see if she will take you home. I know her job is kinda done."

"Okay. That would be acceptable."

"Zack?"

"Yes, Agent Booth?"

"If it's any consolation….I don't think it's in you to kill anybody."

"Thank you Agent Booth."

* * *

**_Author After Talk_**: There. I promised and delivered. Interaction....I hope you enjoyed it.

Tropic


	15. Chapter 15

**_The Face with Two Skeletons_**

**_By_**: Tropicwhale

**_Disclaimer_**: Mine? Who's been saying that wonderful lie? oh...ignore them, they lie like rugs. Bones and all things associated with the show belong to other people...dammit.

**_Author Talk_**: *Sigh* I'm updating because I'm physically unable to do my homework until at least nine'o'clock

* * *

**_Chapter Fifteen_**

As it turned out Angela was on loan to the Egyptology department to use her computer skills to render a faded proportion of a stone tablet and couldn't take Zack home until later in the evening. Booth told Brennan and Cam that Zack wasn't feeling well and Dr. Saroyan found him a blanket so he could take a nap on the couch in Brennan's office until he could be taken home. For the next few hours everyone checked in on him to make sure he was doing alright, including Dr. Brennan. Zack was in and out of conscious when Booth and Brennan started to hunt down the private detective that followed Anne Zerbrowski around. Dr. Saroyan stopped in sometime around four o'clock and checked on Zack. "How are you doing, Zack?"

"Lousy." Dr. Saroyan laughed and stroked his hair. "My mom used to do that when I was a kid."

"Did she?" Zack nodded, his head never leaving the pillow.

"I'm sorry I yelled at you, Hodgins, and Angela at lunch today. I was frustrated with my lack of progress with the skeleton I've been working with."

"Don't worry about it, Zack."

"Okay." Dr. Saroyan smiled. "Is there any progress with Anne's remains? Who's taken my position?" Zack asked.

"Don't worry about it."

"I can't seem to do that. I want her to have the best….unfortunately, that's me and I…" Dr. Saroyan smiled.

"We removed the wings and unbolted the skeleton. The feet are attached to the base with some sort of super glue and the paint is thick enough that any trauma is obscured."

"So not well."

"No."

"I'm sorry."

"Why?"

"If I wasn't having an affair with Zerbrowski I would have been able to help."

"You were friends with the victim's husband through your basketball team. I'm sure Caroline Julian would have thrown the same fit that she's going to throw if she found out you were on the same platform as the remains."

"I backed away as soon as I could."

"I know. She'll be mollified by that."

"She scares me."

"She scares everyone." Zack smiled and closed his eyes. Cam stood up and went back to her job. Two hours later, Zack was woken up by Angela.

"Hey, sweetie. Ready to go home?" Zack nodded and stood. Angela wrapped her arm around his shoulder and walked him out of the lab. "How you feeling?"

"Still woozy." Angela gave his shoulders a squeeze. "I am not sure if I should have not eaten lunch at all or eaten more."

"I understand. I feel that way after I've vomited." Zack moaned and laid his head on Angela's shoulder. Angela laughed. She stopped at the vending machines and bought a bag of chips and a bottle of water. "Here. You'll feel better after you get something in your stomach." Zack nodded and carefully open the chip bag. He carefully put it into his mouth expecting to run straight to the bathroom to vomit again. Instead, he found himself starving and thirsty. He chowed down on the chips and water with Angela laughing. Zack looked up at her as the chip bag grew empty. "You're like a little kid with a candy bar."

"I wasn't allowed to have sugar. My mother said it made me antsy." They started walking again.

"Wow, I kinda feel bad for you Zack."

"Why?"

"Not overdosing on sugar, no drinking underage, not learning basic social skills? These are things that are a kid's right."

"I was beaten up a lot. And I graduated college at sixteen. That was kinda cool."

"I guess. And if you weren't like supersmart you wouldn't here with us." Zack shrugged.

"That's true."

"Glad you agree, Zack." Angela joked. At least, Zack assumed it was a joke. Angela got her keys out and they walked out into the late spring sunshine. Zack felt loads better in the fresh air. "Still hungry?" Angela asked as they got into her car and Zack took another gulp of water. Zack nodded. Angela drove them to the Royal Diner and Zack got a Ruben sandwich and Angela got a cob salad.

"You've been eating a lot of salads lately." Zack observed. Angela grinned.

"I'm a bridesmaid at a friend's wedding. I need to lose like ten pounds." Zack looked at her confused. "The dress is a size three in American. In Chinese it's like 34."

"That has to be frustrating."

"Very."

"If you would like someone to workout with I can help." Angela smiled at him.

"Oh, thank you sweetie." They finished their dinner in quiet. Angela started to pay but Zack beat her to it.

"I'm tired of everyone paying for me like a kid. I am twenty-nine point-"

"I get it, Zack. Besides, a lady never turns down a free meal." Zack smiled at that. It was funny. They got back into the car and drove to Hodgins' house. Angela stopped the car in front of the gate and got out to punch the passcode in. She then got back in and drove through to the garage.

"Thank you for driving me home, Angela." Zack said when she had put the car into park.

"You're welcome Zack." Zack went to get out of the car and heard a loud booming sound. Then Angela was screaming. Then everything went black.

Zack woke askew and pinned between a tree and an airbag somewhere to the right of the property's gate. His head was bleeding and he was certain two ribs and his left femur were broken. He immediately looked for Angela. She was right beside him, panting, pinned to her seat by the steering wheel. "Are you okay?" Angela nodded.

"I-I think my arm is broken."

"Probably other stuff too. Is there any tightness in your abdomen? There might be internal bleeding."

"I don't know…the car's sort of pressing on me." Zack nodded. He understood. He could hear the sirens in the distance. "What happened?"

"My apartment exploded…if the flames coming from that direction are any indication."

"My car?"

"I think it saved our lives. We would have been mincemeat if your car had gone ca-boom instead of the garage."

"Ca-boom?"

"I couldn't think of any other accurate description of the sound I heard before everything went black...my head hurts too much."

"Oh. Okay. Are you okay?"

"My leg, two ribs feel broken and I'm pretty sure I have a major concussion. Angela, I'm afraid."

"So am I, sweetie."

"I don't want to die right now."

"Me neither. Let's keep talking okay? I heard somewhere that you shouldn't fall asleep if you're hurt this bad. Something about shock."

"Okay. Talk about what?"

"I don't know. Tell me about when you started playing basketball."

"It was right after I came to D.C. I came about five months early than Dr. Brennan needed me because she was out of the country and I….I wanted to settle in before starting to work….I was in a car accident…and the officer and EMT that pulled me from the wreak happened to be Copperheads. They asked me to join when I could walk again. In fact I think my one leg is broken in the same place as last time."

"Is that good or bad?"

"I'm not sure. I'm not a medical professional."

"Well, it'll probably be easier to set this time."

"I guess."

"So, Zerbrowski….tell me about him."

"He's my friend."

"You have sex with him."

"Only on occasion."

"Define occasion." Angela had that tone to her voice, the one that she used when talking about sex and attraction. Zack didn't say anything. "ZACK!"

"Yeah…I'm thinking."

"What about?"

"Zerbrowski….Booth said earlier today that if he really cared about me he would have left Anne."

"Booth's smart about that stuff."

"Angela…"

"Yeah, Zack?"

"Did you ever have sex with a married man?"

"Yes."

"What was it like?"

"At first it was exciting…doing something forbidden. But, eventually, it made me feel cheap. It's no fun when you have to be someone else's dirty little secret…knowing that they have someone else that they go home to after they're done with you."

"Zerbrowski usually becomes aroused more if he thinks I'm attracted to someone else."

"Aroused in a good way or a bad way?"

"I'm not sure. He starts interacting with me in way that indicates that he wants sexual intercourse more often."

"It sounds like he's only using you for sex, Zack, and is possessively jealous. Those aren't good qualities."

"I'm only using him for sex and I thought jealousy is a good thing. It shows someone cares enough that they want you for themselves."

"Yeah, but he's also keeping up a charade that he's a straight man in a monogamous relationship with his wife."

"He says he does that because no one would accept our relationship as what it is."

"Yeah, but you deserve someone that doesn't mind showing you off…and who doesn't complain about your sexual prowess like Naomi from Paleontology."

"I don't think that person exists, Angela. The odds are astronomically high."

"They do, Zack. There's someone out there for you, and just you. Just watch."

"The sirens are loud…I think the ambulance is on the road."

"Don't change the subject on me." Angela smiled to show she was joking. Suddenly there was an EMT there telling them both it will be alright and to stay calm. Zack relaxed. It was Keg. Angela and he were in good hands.

* * *

**_Author After Talk_**: So yeahhhhhh....HI!! Is it sad I've forgotten what I've written? I'm focused on what needs to happen so when you referance something and say it's good I'm flattered then I'm like...wait...what? So then I go and look it up and go "OOHHH" Okay...cool. MORE TO COME! WRITING chapter twenty

Tropic


	16. Chapter 16

**_The Face with Two Skeletons_**

**_By_**: Tropicwhale

**_Disclaimer_**: Mine? Who's been saying that wonderful lie? oh...ignore them, they lie like rugs. Bones and all things associated with the show belong to other people...dammit.

**_Author Talk_**: LEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOYYYYY JENKIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNNNNNNSSSSSSSS!

* * *

**_Chapter Sixteen_**

Zack woke up in a stiff bed in a white room. Immediately, he tried to sit up. Hodgins and Robbie were there pushing him back down. Robbie then pushed the button to make the bed go up into a sitting position. "Hey, how ya doin', Zaddy?" he asked.

"Where's Angela?" Zack asked.

"Right here, sweetie." he heard her say. Hodgins shifted to revel Angela lying in the other bed. Zack waved weakly and she waved back.

"Are you okay?"

"I've been better…what about you?"

"I've been better." Robbie ruffled Zack's hair.

"What is it with you and getting into car accidents?" Zack looked at his basketball captain.

"Is that suppose to be a joke?" Zack asked. Robbie rolled his eyes and ruffled Zack's hair, again.

"Yes. Yes it was."

"It wasn't very funny."

"It would have been if you answered with something 'just lucky, I guess' or 'oh you know you like rescuing me'."

"I see. So it was an ironic joke?"

"You got it, Zaddy."

"I see. In that case it was very funny."

"Glad you approve." Robbie moved to ruffled Zack's hair again but Zack raised his arm that was attached to an IV drip at the inset of his elbow.

"You ruffle my hair again, Robbie, and they'll be admitting you for a broken wrist."

"You would assault a police officer?" Robbie's tone was incredulous and amused.

"Yes." Robbie laughed loudly while Hodgins and Angela stared in amazement at the pair of them.

"Women would be outraged at your sacrilege."

"Women? You mean your penis."

"Oooh, that's cold, Zaddy. We both know I'm a god to women."

"A god to women? I thought my ears were burning." Bailout and the rest of the team appeared in the doorway. Zack saw a box of candy, two flower arrangements and three balloon bouquets.

"You wish." Zack said in amusement as the gifts found their way onto the bedside table. "Hodgins, Angela, this is Bailout, Wineskin, Othello, and you already know Keg and Robbie. Guys, this is Angela and Hodgins….I work with them and Hodgin's owns the property of….my apartment." Zack realized two things belatedly. "What happened…does anyone know?"

"The top of the garage blew up, Zack." Hodgins said. "The cars were fine but your apartment is completely gone."

"All those DVDs" Bailout bemoaned, pretending to swoon. Wineskin slapped him upside his head.

"Forget the DVDs, you moron," the Greek said, "we almost lost our best forward. A few seconds later and…" Everyone seemed to realize the implications at once.

"Geez…we were lucky." Angela said. Zack didn't say anything and Hodgins grabbed his ankle.

"Hey, don't worry about it." Hodgins told Zack sincerely. There was a knock on the open door. Everyone looked over to see Booth, Dr. Saroyan, and Dr. Brennan. Booth had been the one to knock.

"Hey Zack…you're awake." Dr. Saroyan was the first to speak.

"Yes. How long was I out?"

"About twelve hours." Dr. Saroyan answered honestly.

"I was out for eight, Zack." Angela answered his next question before he had the chance to ask. The last thing he remembered was the emergency room as he was wheeled in on a gurney. He remembered insisting on seeing if Angela was okay but she was already in surgery. Keg had told him that he would check on her for Zack. Then the drugs kicked into his system and Zack remembered dancing burning skeletons that had tissue still attached in a swamp made of basketball courts and vintage cars. It had been terrifying.

"Zack, try to rest." Dr. Brennan told him.

"I did. I'm more concerned with Angela. She was the one that had the internal bleeding."

"I'm fine, Zack."

"Are you sure?" Zack wanted to make sure.

"Yes." Angela sounded exasperated. "Hodgins, Brennan, Booth, Cam, and my father all asked the same question at least three times."

"Oh." Angela looked over at him. He looked at her. "Are you sure?" She grabbed her pillow and threw it at him. He caught it and stuff it behind his head. "That wasn't smart. Now I have two pillows and you don't have any." Everyone, including Angela, laughed. Hodgins stood and stole Angela's pillow back for her.

"Thanks Hodgins." She said then stuck her tongue out at Zack who returned the gesture. Othello laid his hand on Zack's shoulder and Zack looked up at him.

"The friends thou hast, and their adoption tried, grapple them to thy soul with hoops of steel." He said. "Hamlet, Act One, Scene Three from Polonius to his son Laertes." Bailout groaned.

"Do you have to make everything a Shakespeare reference?" He asked.

"If you took my Shakespeare class you would know that answer, Bailout."

"I don't even go to your college!"

"That's no excuse." Othello shot back. Bailout groaned and collapsed over Zack's feet. Zack rolled his eyes and kicked him with his leg that wasn't broken. "I slayed him…with Shakes' spear." The Copperheads groaned and Robbie shoved the older man.

"Bad pun." Wineskin said and nodded in Angela's direction. Keg noticed it and slapped his arm for it. "OW! Wha?"

"No hitting on Zaddy's co-worker when she's in the hospital. It's rude."

"But she's hot!" Wineskin shot back. Angela smirked at him. Keg shook his head and slapped Wineskin on the back of his head.

"I'm sorry for my teammate's idiocy." Keg said to Angela. "He doesn't get that you are so far out of his league that he has a better chance of holding a star in the palm of his hand." Angela raised her eyebrows and smiled. Brennan turned to Booth.

"It's impossible to hold a star in the palm of his hand…the size and the heat of a basic-"

"That was the point, Bones. It's impossible for Wineskin to get Angela." Booth whispered back. "It's Keg's way of using his teammate to hit on Angela as a gentleman."

"Oooh. That's very Machiavellian of him."

"Yeah, well…it also casts him in a favorable light to Angela. Not only does he pull her from the wreak of her car but he implies that she's more beautiful and more out of reach then the stars which shows his romantic side even as he's defending her from a sleazy teammate."

"Oh. Do you think it was planned that way?"

"Probably." Booth shrugged. Brennan nodded, considering the implications of this information.

"Where's Zerbrowski?" Zack suddenly asked. The squints and Booth froze. Robbie shrugged.

"He had to work, Zack. He said he would come in as soon as he got off."

"I'll bet he did." Angela mumbled but the Copperheads didn't hear her.

"Okay." Zack said and snuggled back into his covers. Just then a nurse arrived and hustled Angela and Zack's guests out of the room. She checked Zack's vitals and medication, asking him how he felt and that sort of thing then moved on to Angela.

Meanwhile, in the hallway, the squints and the Copperheads were sitting in those uncomfortable hospital chairs….staring each other down. Robbie turned to Booth. "Why would someone want to blow up Zack?"

"Case." Hodgins said. Bailout shifted.

"Is he always in this much danger." the blond kid asked.

"No, usually it's Booth and I that garner the life-threatening situations." Brennan said. "Zack is just my assistant."

"So why would anyone go after Zack?" Wineskin asked. Just then Zerbrowski arrived, striding down the hallway toward the group.

"How is he?" Zerbrowski ignored Booth and the squints and focused immediately on his teammates.

"He's fine, Zerbrowski." Othello said. "Enough to make jokes and to ask about you. The nurse is looking in on him now."

"Oh good." Zerbrowski slumped in a chair, clearly out of breath.

"So you're James Zerbrowski? Anne Zerbrowksi's wife?" Brennan asked. Zerbrowski looked at her suspiciously.

"Yeah…who are you?"

"I'm Dr. Temperance Brennan. I work at the Jeffersonian and am helping Booth solve your wife's murder although I am not comfortable with saying that it was a murder as there are no signs of trauma just yet."

"Except…you know…she was found in the dumpster by an art student as just bones." Hodgins said.

"Hodgins….not in front of people not involved in the case." Cam said.

"She didn't have any skin?" Bailout asked.

"She didn't have anything period. Her bones were turned into the guy's thesis sculpture." Hodgins said excitedly before Cam silenced him with a look then looked over at Zerbrowski meaningfully. Hodgins got it and looked over at Zerbrowski. "Sorry for your loss, man. We'll do everything in our power to find out how she got that way." Zerbrowski said his thanks and looked toward the door of Zack and Angela's room.

"Zaddy will figure it out, Zerbrowski. He's crazy smart like that." Bailout said.

"We're all crazy smart like that." Cam said. "Unfortunately, Zack will not be helping with the investigation." The Copperheads looked at her.

"Why?" Bailout said. "Zaddy's, like, the best there is."

"Actually I'm the best and involved in the case." Brennan said. "Zack cannot participate in the investigation because he is a suspect."

"Why would Dr. Zachery Uriah Addy be a murder suspect? What would he have to gain by killing Anne?" Othello asked. Hodgins and Cam glanced at Zerbrowski.

"He said so." Brennan said. "Zack doesn't lie."

"We know that." Robbie said.

"Zack's one of the most honest guys any of us know." Wineskin said.

"We also know he wouldn't kill anyone." Keg added. "He must have meant something else."

"He said he had something to gain by Anne's murder….I'm inclined to believe him at his word. In order for the case not to get thrown out when it comes to trial-" Brennan said.

"If you ever catch who killed her." Zerbrowski said.

"We will." Booth said. "We have a near perfect track record…"

"We have a perfect one if you don't include Gormogon and the Grave Digger." Brennan said.

"Gormogon? Grave Digger?" Bailout asked.

"Serial killers." Cam informed him.

"Oh." Bailout looked around uncomfortable "Oh, **People**!" he picked up the magazine and buried his nose in it. Keg shook his head.

"You would think that he's the gay one and not Zack." Bailout responded by flipping off the EMT but leaving his nose in the magazine.

"So you knew Zack liked men?" Brennan asked.

"Yes." Robbie said. "The Copperheads are an open-minded team. We're not going to turn away anyone because of race, creed or sexual orientation."

"I see." Brennan said. "Were you also aware that Zack was having an affair with Zerbrowski here?" The team froze. Bailout put down his magazine and all the Copperheads looked at Zerbrowski. Booth took that as a 'no'.

"You asshole." Robbie said to Zerbrowski. "You know the kid has had it rough and you…you sleaze!"

"Robbie, stay out of it." Zerbrowski said. "What Zack and I do is our own business." Robbie stood, took the two steps it took to stand in front of Zerbrowski and delivered one hell of a pill-driver to Zerbrowski's face. Zerbrowski and his chair toppled to one side and Robbie was all over him like orange on a basketball. Booth, Hodgins and Keg were up as well, trying to get Robbie off of Zerbrowski. Two doctors and a few orderlies were striding toward the group to separate the brawling men. It took Booth, Hodgins, Keg and Wineskin to hold back Robbie from reattacking Zerbrowski. The orderlies and the doctors were helping Zerbrowski stand.

"And what about Anne? Your wife? Remember her? Did you use her just like you're using Zack? Is that why she's dead? You selfish- Zerbrowski, you're off the team…I don't want to see your face again or I'll kill you. Understand?"

"You can't do that." Zerbrowski's face was shocked and verging on upset underneath the bruising that was starting to form all over his face.

"Yes, he can." Othello stood. "And while we're at it you're going to stay away from Zaddy too. That poor boy was nearly blown up last night and you're just now showing your face? Your wife runs around so much that you don't know that she's gone missing until her bones show up in some art major's thesis? I don't want you on my team. You obviously don't look after the people that care about you."

"Zack doesn't care about me." Zerbrowski defended. "He doesn't even believe in love. He's just looking for some physical intercourse….and you know what? Zaddy's not some little saint that runs around doing other people's bidding. He has his own mind. Makes his own choices." Zerbrowski shrugged off the orderlies. "You don't get to tell me what to do when it comes to Zack, Robbie…Othello. You don't even know who Zack Addy is…any of you." Zerbrowski looked at the squints, Booth and the Copperheads. "Otherwise you wouldn't be yelling at me right after my wife's bones were found and my lover was nearly blown to hell just yesterday."

"You're the only connection." Brennan said. "Logically the discovery of your wife's death and the explosion of Zack's apartment happening within twenty-four hours of each other has some correlation to the other."

"Yeah, and why haven't I been targeted? You don't have a clue. You don't even know if Anne was murdered or if it was an accidental death. You know Zack speaks so highly of you….you'd think that you would be Wonder Woman or something…but you people didn't even know he was bisexual or that he played basketball. Forget you." Zerbrowski turned around and walked away.

* * *

**_Author After Talk_**: ..........sparklies?

Tropic


	17. Chapter 17

**_The Face with Two Skeletons_**

**_By_**: Tropicwhale

**_Disclaimer_**: Mine? Who's been saying that wonderful lie? oh...ignore them, they lie like rugs. Bones and all things associated with the show belong to other people...dammit.

**_Author Talk_**: MooMooTweetMooTweetCooTweetMreowBarkTweetTweetBarkMreooowBarkCoooMooMooBaaaaCricket

* * *

**Seventeenth Chapter**

Zack had a mild concussion in addition to a broken triquetrum and pisiform on his right wrist, three bruised ribs, and a broken fibula on his left leg. Angela had internal bleeding which was stopped in surgery, a broken wrist, and bruised pelvis. It took them each a week and a half plus a lot of Jell-o before they were released from the hospital on the same day. Hodgins volunteered to take Angela home and, since he insisted on going back to work, Dr. Saroyan drove Zack back to the Jeffersonian where Zack hoppled down to Limbo on his crutches intent on getting some work done on the skeleton from Alabama. Dr. Saroyan watched him go with a bemused smile then went to finish out some paperwork. She was stopped by one of Brennan's graduate students who was temporarily filling in for Zack to solve Anne Zerbrowski's death. "Dr. Saroyan?" the young man asked, hesitantly.

"Yes….Wallll-Wendell?" Cam winced at her near slip-up.

"Yes." the boy confirmed (and Cam winced again as her mind labeled the man "boy" indicating her age to herself). "I managed to remove the paint from the remains."

"Did you?" Cam was surprised. She had already admitted to herself that probably no one but Zack would be able to figure that particular puzzle out.

"I used to dorm with an art major and there was an incident with a cat skeleton of mine and some neon pink paint of his but I thought that the same process would work with this so I did a test swab on one of the smaller phalanges of the right foot…and it cleaned it so I asked Dr. Brennan if I could-"

"Wendell, the short version."

"The bones are clean."

"What did you clean them with?"

"A calcium hydroxide solution. I read in a dental journal that it was used to strengthen teeth bones and I know from working around the house that it's a active ingredient in some paint thinners…so I figured it wouldn't be a big deal." Cam nodded once.

"Uh-huh." There was an awkward silence in which Wendell shifted. "Was there something else or were you just keeping me abreast of what's going on in my lab?"

"Uh…there was something else."

"Good. Let's hear it."

"I think I found how she died." Cam tilled her head to look at the graduate student.

"Show me." Wendell nodded and led the way to the platform. Cam ran her card through the security check and Wendell jogged up to the skeleton only to stop short and wait patiently for Camille to catch up. Cam smiled at him in thanks and gestured to the now complete and disconnected skeleton.

"So…what I found…." Wendell started and picked up a rib. "Was when I sprayed and rubbed down the bones with the calcium hydroxide there were spots on the ribs that wouldn't go away…at first I thought that they were particularly difficult paint specks but then I realized that the more of the solution I used the blacker they got." Wendell put the bone under the magnifying glass that was attached to a monitor. Cam could see weird black spots on the bone.

"A bad reaction to the solution?" She asked. Wendell shook his head.

"One of the elements that make up calcium hydroxide is oxygen…when a high concentration oxygen comes into contact with blood cells the cells react, in certain cases turning black. When I started to clean the bones…I used a spray that was 5 parts water, one part calcium hydroxide then I used the same solution to fine tune the cleaning with a swab…the water must have regenerated the blood cells enough to cause the staining." Wendell removed the rib from under the magnifying glass and placed in another. The same staining was evident on that bone as well. "There's spots on most of the ribs in a sort of scatter shot pattern."

"So our victim bled internally enough to stain her ribs." Cam reasoned.

"It's more than that. Hemorrhaging would have been a lot less frequent staining. It stains randomly and would have also been on the back side of the ribs. There's a distinct circular pattern to this staining."

"Meaning?" Cam was starting to get the picture but she wanted confirmation.

"My best friend's dad used to go hunting…..one time he took us out to the firing range to show us how different deer shot worked…our victim was killed with birdshot from close to medium range." Wendell adjusted the microscope on one of the black dots. The bone was chipped. "It still would have left a huge gaping hole in her sternum."

"And the artist said he didn't find the sternum. That follows."

"It was most definitely murder though. You don't hit somebody with birdshot at this close range without wanting to cause damage"

"Great…" Cam sighed, frustrated and a little upset.

"Dr. Saroyan?"

"It means Zack was right. He's a suspect."

"But Hodgins said that he was nearly blown up."

"Exactly…and something tells me that Zack isn't one to go and try and blow up himself." Cam started to walk away.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm going to call Booth and Brennan and tell them that they're looking for a killer. Try and figure out how they cleaned her bones."

"Boiled." Cam stopped and stared at the abrupt answer. "Dr. Hodgins found microscopic particulates of water that wasn't from the calcium hydroxide solution and I found signs of scrapping. It was like someone was using a dull edged object to scrap the bones clean."

"Why wasn't I informed of this?"

"Uh…I got caught up in the black spots on the ribs. Sorry." Cam rolled her eyes. She may classify as a squint but sometimes scientists just really got on her nerves.

"Alright. Just don't let it happen again."

"Yes, ma'am." Wendell seemed appropriately chastised so Cam was satisfied. She walked away and on her way back to her office ran into Hodgins. And by run into she saw him across the room sneaking into the lab where he and Zack had a bad habit of doing illicit experiments in.

"HODGINS!!" The bug doctor started guiltily and turned to face his boss with, Cam supposed, was his version of an innocent smile….of course it read as a cocky ass grin but Cam never worried about those sorts of details. Cam took her time in getting to him. When she was close enough to spit in his eye she crossed her arms suspiciously. "What are you doing?" Hodgins' cocky/innocent grin grew in wattage. Cam didn't buy it.

"So maybe I was testing a combination of chemicals that might have been in the bomb that blew up my garage and my best friend's home."

"Maybe?" Cam repeated, skeptical.

"It's possible." Hodgins said evenly and mimicked Cam's pose by crossing his arms. Cam considered that she would never want to play poker with Hodgins. Booth, Brennan, Zack maybe….but not Hodgins and definitely not Angela.

"Hodgins….how stupid do you think I am?" Hodgins was smart enough to see the double dead end in that question. A vindictive part of Cam's mind went 'good' very softly.

"I'm not sure how to answer that question." His cockiness slipped just an inch.

"How about leaving the investigation of the explosion to the FBI?"

"That group of incompedants? They'll screw it up."

"Hodgins….."

"I'm better than them." Cam closed her eyes to ward off the tension headache that threatened her sanity every other time she had a conversation with Hodgins. Grown men shouldn't be allowed to whine like that. She opened her eyes and looked at him directly.

"Hodgins…I'm going t say this once. NO." She started to walk away then stopped. She turned around to look at Hodgins. "Did you find anything else out about Anne Zerbrowski's remains?"

"They were boiled in salt water." Hodgins shrugged.

"Salt water." Cam confirmed.

"Yeah…there were marginally large salt deposits all over the skeleton. Also? The artist didn't sand his work, there was a lack of sand particles plus, according to Brennan, the bones are the proper consistency, no signs of being sanded. There are some spare particulates that don't come from the paint or the lime that Wendell used as remover that the computer is still tracking down. I might be able to trace how the bones ended up in that particular dumpster from the spa she was last seen at."

"Wendell also said that the bones were scrapped clean with some sort of dull object to clean the bones off after boiling." Hodgins' eyes lit up.

"Interesting."

"See if there are any particulates that might match the scrapping tool. By the way, Wendell also discovered that our victim was shot. He found stains and chipping typical of birdshot on the ribs." Hodgins looked very interested.

"Seems like this kid can give our Zack a run for his money."

"Let's hope it never comes to that." Hodgins nodded. He and Cam both knew that Zack wasn't capable of murder but it looked like they would have to prove it to the rest of the world.

* * *

**_Author After Tal_**_**k**_: of course Zack would rather they search for the truth instead of defending him but who cares what Zack thinks? Also? I came _this _close to being arrested last night....by campus police.....I'm just saying.

Tropic

* * *


	18. Chapter 18

**_The Face with Two Skeletons_**

**_By_**: Tropicwhale

**_Disclaimer_**: Mine? Who's been saying that wonderful lie? oh...ignore them, they lie like rugs. Bones and all things associated with the show belong to other people...dammit.

**_Author Talk_**: fire water earth and air; will someone get these curls out of my hair?

* * *

**Chapter Eighteen**

Zack was stumped. It wasn't unprecedented but it happened rare enough that he was frustrated by the lack of progress he made with the remains. Even with all his injuries he still should have made _some_ progress with the Alabamian bones. Dr. Brennan walked in and placed her hand on Zack's shoulder. "What's amatter, Zack?" Zack shifted his weight from his good foot to his crutches and back again minutely.

"I feel like I'm missing something with this skeleton." Zack admitted. Brennan looked down at the remains. "She was killed with a shotgun by the way. I'm not sure what sort of bullet that was used by there is a spread pattern to chipping on the ribs."

"Where was she found?"

"Alabama."

"Let me see the file." Dr. Brennan held out her hand. Zack handed her the file. She took a minute to look at it. "This skeleton isn't from the 1930's." Zack furrowed his brow. "It's much too young."

"I thought that the coloring was a result of the treatment that the Jeffersonian uses to strength the bones."

"Partially but the bone density is completely different. Look." She went over to the computer database and quickly filled out the search engine. She then wrote down a number onto a slip of paper that they kept by the monitor and walked down the aisles. She checked the number again and pulled out a bin that was about shoulder-length to her. She walked back to Zack and set the new bin on an empty examining table. "These bones were found in Alaska, 1935, worried past recognition by wolves." She picked up the pelvis. "Male." She laid the bone out on the empty table. Then she walked back into the stacks and pulled out another bin. She placed it on the second examining table next to the Alaskan pelvis. "Female, Arizona, 1933, eaten by coyotes." She pulled out the pelvis again. She took the two pelvises and laid them next to the skeleton that Zack had been examining. Zack notice the difference right away. The older bones were still darker than the Alabamian skeleton even after the ultraviolet light treatment. "Touch them…feel the difference."

"With my bare hands?" Zack was very confused.

"No, with the gloves." Brennan said. Zack reached down and touched the male pelvis and the Alabamian one. "The male one feels rougher."

"Exactly. This skeleton is recently deceased. I would say less than six months." Dr. Brennan said. Zack looked at her. She picked up the two 1930's pelvises and put them back into their respective boxes, and put the bins back into the proper shelves. She removed her gloves and told Zack to contact whomever it was that send them the skeleton and figure out what was going on. Zack said that he would and started to put away the skeleton as Dr. Brennan left Limbo. After he juggled the skeleton in its bin back into its place in the shelves and, grabbing the file off the table, hobbled up into the main labs. He took the long way around the platform to Brennan's office so no one could claim that he was attempting to tamper with the evidence of Anne's death. He sat at Dr. Brennan's desk and dialed the phone number that was in the skeleton's file and put the phone on speaker so he would not have to try and hold it to his ear with his broken wrist and bruised ribs. It was answered on the second ring.

"Department of Justice Sciences, University of Alabama at Birmingham. How may I help you?" A female voice said over the line.

"Hello, this is Dr. Zack Addy from the Jeffersonian. There seems to be a problem with one of the skeletal remains that your department sent us two months ago."

"That would have come to you through the general anthropology department."

"The number in the file was this one."

"I see. Will you please hold for a second?"

"I will." Zack hear her put the phone down and the distant murmuring of a conversation. After a moment the female came back on the line.

"Alright. According to the Department head the only reason any remains would be sent to the Jeffersonian because the police deemed it a cold case and donated the remains to educational purposes or whatnot."

"I see. You wouldn't happen to have contact information for that, would you?"

"Hold please." Again the click of the phone hitting desk came over the line then the clicking of a keyboard. She picked up again. "Alright. Ready?" Zack grabbed a pencil and a piece of paper.

"Yes." She gave him the information and contact info. "Would there be a record there of the remains?"

"Yes….give me a second." She clicked a few keys. "Alright, give me the identification number."

"PX0-336"

"Alright." There were seven more clicks. "It was discovered in Pittman Bay 1934 and kept in storage at the Houston County sheriff department until three months ago when it was sent to us."

"See, that's a problem. The skeletal remains are less than six months old."

"Whoa. Really?"

"Yes. My boss confirmed it and she is the premier expert in forensic anthropology."

"You work for Dr. Temperance Brennan?" Zack blinked. He was expecting the recognition.

"Yeeessss." He said slowly.

"I'm such a fan of hers. Her treatise on identifying defensive breaks post-mortem was inspirational."

"I-"

"And her fictional books are so informed….I didn't scream in frustration once."

"Yes well,"

"Is she around?"

"No. She's consulting with the FBI at the moment on a murder case."

"Her life is so fascinating." Zack recognized the tone of an obsessed fan.

"I have to go now." He hung up. He dialed the number for the Huston sheriff department. It picked up on the first ring.

"Houston County sheriff department, how may I direct your call?"

"Hello, my name is Dr. Zack Addy calling from the Jeffersonian in Washington DC. There seems to be a mix up with a set of incomplete skeletal remains that came to us two months ago and I've tracked back to your department."

"Really? What seems to be the problem?"

"The files state that the remains were found in Pittman Bay in 1934 and have been in storage since but we've found that the remains have only been deceased for less than six months."

"I see. Let me direct your call to the person in charge of evidence storage." He was placed on hold with smooth jazz music playing over the phone. Hodgins popped his head into the office.

"Oh! Hey, Zack…I was looking for Brennan." Zack looked down at Brennan's schedule that she kept on her desk.

"She's at lunch with Booth right now. At the Diner."

"Oh. I guess I'll tell her later." Zack nodded.

"Okay." Hodgins started to leave, snapped his fingers and turned back around. "Zack? We need to talk."

"Alright." Hodgins sat on the edge of Brennan's desk. Zack sat back, keeping an eye on the phone which was still on hold.

"Tired?"

"Exhausted. But I finally figured out why the skeleton that I've been classifying was so frustrating. It's been deceased for less than six months and not since the 1930s like the file says. I'm trying to track down the skeleton that's suppose to be here and who is the one we have."

"That's…Zack, you should be resting. You were nearly blown up."

"I rested for nine days in the hospital. The doctor said I was able to go back to work for light duty. I'm sitting here doing waiting on hold for a sheriff's office in Alabama. I would consider that light work. What did you want to talk about?"

"Hello, this is Forensic Evidence Storage of Houston County Sheriff office, how can I help you?" The phone suddenly said, the voice was that of an older woman. Zack slowly sat up so not to shift his ribs too much.

"Yes, I'm Dr. Zack Addy from the Jeffersonian calling about a set of remains that were shipped to us from there." Hodgins was grinning. Zack suspected it was because he was thinking better Zack then him. Zack flipped him the middle finger of his unbroken hand. Hodgins fell off the desk in silent giggles. Zack was satisfied. "The file said that the skeleton was from the 1930's and the skeleton we have is less than six months dead."

"And it's a completely unbridled skeleton?"

"Yes. It's incomplete and showed signs of being partial eaten by an alligator."

"We haven't had anything remotely sounding like that come in at all."

"That's…" Zack was trying to figure out how that happened."

"Weird." The woman said.

"yeah." Zack was distracted. "In about a week I'm going to come down and try to figure it out in person. Is that okay?"

"Sure sweetie. When you're ready to come down just call this number from nine to five and ask for Pack Rat."

"Pack Rat?"

"Police have nicknames for everyone. Evidence locker lieutenant is the Pack Rat."

"That makes sense."

"Alright, Mr. Dr. Zack Addy….talk to you in a week."

"Talk to you in a week." The call disconnected and Zack turned off the speaker. He then slumped back into the chair and looked up at the ceiling vacantly. Hodgins righted himself on his perch on the desk.

"Are you sure you're alright?" The 'bug guy' asked, concerned. Zack frowned.

"I just realized that I don't have anywhere to live." Hodgins reared back a little.

"Zack, that's not a problem. We'll rebuild the apartment, make it better than ever. We can't rebuild you." Hodgins reached over and touched Zack's shoulder. "Or Angela. There was nothing you could do."

"Can I stay in the main house, then?"

"No. I'm not moving back in until I find out how the bomber got in and upgrade my security system so it never happens again. I'm staying with Angela until it's done. She needs someone to take care of her anyway."

"Oh…well, where am I going to stay?"

"Why don't you ask your lover to take care of you?" Zack was certain that Hodgins' tone was condensing and snide. Zack chose to ignore it until further proof was presented. After all Zack still had trouble recognizing sarcasm.

"He's angry at me for telling about our relationship…I doubt that he would want me at his house…not to mention it would look bad if I moved in right after Anne's death."

"Murder. Definitely murder. Shotgun to the chest. Your replacement found it." Zack knew that was meant to hurt. "What about your other basketball buddies?"

"Bailout lives with his parents. Othello lives in an apartment with no elevator on the eight floor. Wineskin….has a small child. Keg's girlfriend doesn't like me….I don't know about Robbie…I guess I could call and ask." Zack turned toward the phone and started to dial Robbie's cell.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Tell you what?"

"That you played basketball, you date men….what else don't I know about you?"

"A lot."

"Zack." Hodgins' tone indicated that Zack's lack of disclosure was making him angry. Logically Zack should offer something about himself that Hodgins didn't know as a peace offering.

"Studying under Dr. Brennan was a secondary reason for coming to DC." Hodgins looked intrigued by that.

"What was the first?"

"I needed to get out of my hometown in Michigan."

"Well, yeah....Michigan."

"I like Michigan….I didn't like the media hounding me at every opportunity."

"Why would-?"

"I was implicated in the murder of my best friend and…my first love." Hodgins gave a half-sure smile.

"You don't believe in love."

"Bradley was murdered by his father almost right before my eyes. If I hadn't climbed out the window and run I would have been dead too." Hodgin's smile faltered and disappeared. "Love…any emotion….it wasn't worth Bradley's life...its not worth it."

"Zack…I'm sorry." Hodgins was pacified but the floodgates were open; Zack couldn't seem to stop.

"I also can drive. But, when I first came to DC, I drove my rented truck into a bicyclist. Keg and Robbie were the ones to pull me from the wreak and Zerbrowski was my criminal defense lawyer. I nearly ended up in jail except the cyclist never showed up to his day in court…the charges were dropped. I'm obviously not trustworthy behind the wheel of a motorized vehicle...and non-motorized vehicles obviously aren't safe so.....I don't drive anymore."

"Zack…" Hodgins' look was slightly horrified.

"I don't want to…cause any more trouble than I already have. I'm tired of it. Excuse me." Zack tried to stand but with his ribs and leg he was stuck in Brennan's chair.

"Zack, none of that is your fault." Zack attempted to stand again. His eyes were tearing up. "Zack, stop! Let me help-" That pissed Zack off.

"I don't need help." Zack floundered for his crutches and got up without the help of a stunned Hodgins. Zack hobbled away back to Limbo. When he was safe within the rows and rows of skeletal remains, then he cried. He slid down to the floor and cried. What he had had with Zerbrowski was a good thing. What he had had with the Copperheads was good, too. What he had at the Jeffersonian was a great thing. Now it was all crumbling down again…just like in Michigan. It was very frustrating.

Some hours later he realized he couldn't stand up again. He had thrown his crutches out of reach in a fit of illogical, emotional distress. He was stuck in Limbo. Another hour after that he fell asleep. It wasn't until the next day that someone found him. "Zack." He heard in his dream. "Zack?" The dream was very pleasant. He was ensconced in a bunch of blankets and cuddled next to someone very warm. "Zack!! Zack's dream snapped like a piece of wet lettuce and he was awake on a cold concrete floor, very stiff and very cold. Booth was crouching next to him.

"Agent Booth?"

"Zack, what are you doing here?"

"I got angry at Hodgins for prying into my life and I came down here to escape and I sat down and got stuck." Booth helped him sit up. Zack was aware of several things. He had to relieve himself, he was hungry, and he had a headache and the beginnings of a cold.

"How long where you down here?" Zack looked at his wristwatch.

"About fifteen hours."

"Fifteen-Zack." Booth slowly helped Zack stand and gave him back his crutches. "Why didn't you just go home?"

"I don't have a home." Booth stopped. "Hodgins is freaked out that someone bombed my apartment which is supposedly secure. He's staying with Angela until he can have his security upgraded and my apartment rebuilt."

"That doesn't help you out."

"He said I should go stay with Zerbrowski."

"That's-"

"I told him that I'm pretty certain Zerbrowski broke up with me because I told about our relationship. I should call Robbie….he might lead me a couch."

"Forget that…you're coming home with me."

"Wouldn't that be a conflict of interest? I'm a suspect in a murder you're investigating."

"Zack, you were nearly blown up. Chances are by the same person that killed Anne Zerbrowski…it's like federal protection. Not to mention, it's looking more and more like it was someone that isn't you so you know what? You're staying with me." That didn't sound logical. It probably was a conflict of interest.

"For an undetermined length of time?" Zack's tone implied he didn't think that it would work.

"Just until you can sit on the ground and not get stuck…then I'll pass you off to someone else, okay?" That was reasonable. Zack couldn't think of any other excuse not to. He decided not to tell anybody that he was staying at Booth's. Things might be assumed. Things that might hurt Booth's career.

"That's fine. Thank you."

"Come on." Zack followed Booth out of Limbo.

* * *

**_Author After Talk_**: :) This is something you all wanted. I know it because I'm psychic. You all want Zack to go home with Booth because Booth is a knight in shining armor and Zack is a little lost puppy dog....and you lot are a bunch of sick twisted slashers. How I love you all.

Tropic


	19. Chapter 19

**_The Face with Two Skeletons_**

**_By_**: Tropicwhale

**_Disclaimer_**: Mine? Who's been saying that wonderful lie? oh...ignore them, they lie like rugs. Bones and all things associated with the show belong to other people...dammit.

**_Author Talk_**: I know. I know. I'm running out of time. But I'm determined to get you guys up to chapter twenty-five by Friday. I have up to forty plus an epilogue planned out so "Skeletons" isn't going away because I know my Peanuts who read my "Grimmoire" series and they are a scary bunch. I'm not going to disappoint them...or you....or those of you that are batting for both teams...........................................................yeah, I know it was a lame pun but I couldn't resist!!! Anyway, I have work that runs to Saturday (ew) and then I've got to make people into zombies sunday morning (Zombie internet movie) and Torchwood goes up Monday (HUZZAH, *sigh* Ianto Jones) so things are going to be tight for a bit but I'll make it work. I have up to chapter 22 written!!!

* * *

**Chapter Nineteen**

Booth took what he called a long lunch to drive Zack to his place and gave him the 'grand tour'. He couldn't stay and told Zack to make himself at home and get some sleep. He would take care of Cam and Brennan for Zack and tell them where he disappeared to. Zack nodded and limped into the bedroom and collapsed on Booth's bed. He crawled under the covers and fell asleep almost instantly.

Meanwhile, back at the lab Angela (who had returned to work out of the sheer boredom of staring at the same four walls for over eight hours at a stretch) was amusing herself by sketching the face of the skeleton that had so absorbed Zack's attention. She sketched a small oval face with a pointed chin, broad cheeks, wide eyes, and a full mouth. When she started to shade in the face the resemblance hit her. She closed her sketchpad and raced as fast as she was able to find one of the other "squints". As it happened she ran into Brennan first. "Brennan!" She said urgently.

"Yes Angela?"

"Look." She showed her the sketch of the skeleton in Limbo.

"You drew another sketch of Anne." Brennan observed. Angela shook her head.

"No. I didn't. I did not draw a sketch of Anne." Brennan looked confused but patient. Angela normally wasn't someone to play these sorts of games for no reason with her.

"It certainly looks like her."

"It isn't." Angela flipped to the original sketch of Anne. "This is Anne Zerbrowski." She flipped back to the newer sketch. "This is a sketch of the skeleton from Alabama that Zack has been working on for the last month and a half.

"They look identical."

"Yeah. I know."

"Are you sure you didn't-"

"Honey, I don't screw up my sketches." Angela was slightly insulted at the insinuation.

"That skeleton is less than six months dead. Zack was trying to track down why they would send a new skeleton and say it was from the 1930's and he found evidence of the female being shot to the chest with a shotgun."

"That's freaky."

"Anne was listed as an only child by her husband."

"Could the killer have shipped these remains to us, knowing Anne's remains would be sent here as well?"

"That's conjecture. I'm not comfortable with conjecture."

"Well, one thing's for sure. We have double murder on our hands." Brennan considered the implications.

"And both have some connection to Zack…not to mention his house blowing up." Angela digested that and grew more and more afraid.

"Brennan? I think we should tell Booth like five minutes ago." Brennan agreed.

* * *

_**Author After Talk**_: Look!! I promised Zack would be in Booth's bed, didn't I? Oh and there was that plot twist thrown in so you lot wouldn't yell at me for having a twenty word chapter but whatever. I don't care what you think..Humph!!

Okay you caught me I care what you think especially if you send it to me in review format!! Okay, that was lame too. Stopping myself now and going back to writing.

Love from the Dorkside;

Tropic


	20. Chapter 20

**_The Face with Two Skeletons_**

**_By_**: Tropicwhale

**_Disclaimer_**: Mine? Who's been saying that wonderful lie? oh...ignore them, they lie like rugs. Bones and all things associated with the show belong to other people...dammit.

**_Author Talk_**: Must......meet..........deadlines.

OH **_Warning_: HOMOSEXUAL LEMON!! SMUT in this chapter that should make you lot all happy.**

* * *

**_Chapter Twenty_**

Zack started awake at the hand on his shoulder. "Hey. It's just me." Zack looked up at the federal officer. "Hey."

"Hey."

"I'm ordering pizza. What do you want on it?" Zack shrugged.

"I'm not picky."

"Okay."

"Agent Booth?"

"Yeah, Zack?"

"Thanks for letting me stay here."

"No problem, Zack."

"If you're tired I'll move to the couch. I don't want to be an inconvience."

"You're fine in the bed, Zack."

"But you're the one that has back problems. No offense but your couch looks like it would make that problem worse." Booth smiled at Zack which confused the scientist. "What?"

"You surprised me again."

"I'm full of surprises."

"I get that. Guh." Booth did a semi-flip over Zack and landed on his back next to Zack on the bed. "I hate fricking East Coast humidity." Zack rolled over onto his back and laughed outright. Booth looked at him like he grew a second head. "You laughed."

"I am capable of it." Booth snorted, amused.

"Wanna watch T.V?"

"Sure." Booth got up and helped Zack stand and hobble into the living room. There they both collapsed onto the couch and Booth turned on the television with the remote control. He flipped through some mindless mid-afternoon television, some early reality shows, and a local news program. "Nothing on."

"Try the Health channel."

"No."

"History channel?" Zack sounded hopeful. Booth looked at him. The squint wilted. "Fine, ESPN" Booth laughed at the sulky quality of Zack's tone. Booth changed the channel to ESPN. They watch the commentary on the baseball season for fifteen minutes. "Pizza?" Zack asked suddenly.

"Geez! Nearly forgot." Booth spasmed onto his feet and walked into the kitchen to grab a menu and the cordless phone. He walked back out and leaned against the doorjam between his living room and kitchen while dialing the phone. He then pinched his nose to adopt a nasally voice when the phone was answered. "Hello. I would like to place an order…is Tony there?" Zack grinned at the federal officer. "HEY TONY!" Booth dropped back into his own voice and shouted. He grinned at the answer from the other end of the call. "I would like a Supreme, an order of hot wings and beer….delivery….really? Yikes, okay….coke, then. Alright. You have my credit number on file right? Great!! Twenty minutes or it's free…yeah, yeah. See ya Tony." Zack's eyebrow was raised. "Hockey teammate…owns his own pizza place…best Supreme Pizza ever."

"Oh." Booth was smiling again. Zack forced himself to look back at the television. After a second Booth collapsed next to him and slammed his feet onto the coffee table. Zack's shoulders tensed as Booth's arm draped along the back of the sofa behind Zack's head. Booth chose that moment to look over at him.

"You okay, Zack?"

"I'm a little uncomfortable." Zack admitted. Booth gave a look that was somewhere between understanding and pity.

"Do you need Advil or something?"

"No. I'm fine."

"Just stressed?" Booth commented astutely. Zack nodded. "Don't worry. You'll be back in action in no time." Booth clasped the back of Zack's neck in a friendly gesture. Zack's skin goose-pimpled at the contact and Zack focused his eyes on the television if not his attention. Booth felt Zack's neck muscles tense and massaged them a little to try and get the squint to loosen up. Zack couldn't resist. He relaxed instantaneously back into Booth's hand. Before either of them realized it Zack's head was resting on Booth's shoulder. Booth switched from massaging Zack's neck to scratching his scalp. Zack found this very relaxing and leaned into the treatment. "You're like a puppy." Zack ignored the gibe in lieu of cuddling closer to Booth. Zack rested his head on Booth's chest so the federal officer could scratch his back. Booth found this incrediable funny and laughed. Zack decided he liked the sound of Booth's laugh so rubbed up against the agent's chin like a cat. Booth cracked up laughing. Zack found himself aroused by Booth's laugh the way his smile made Zack's knees melt. He almost collasped into Booth's lap in what would have been an embarrassing way and threw out his left hand out to catch himself…but the only thing to grab was Booth's thigh. Booth's arms were around him. "Don't fall, Zack." he warned. Zack shifted to try and get his balance back. Booth's arms tightened and so the only way that Zack could get his balance back was to scoot forward. Zack felt his face flush. He looked up at Booth's face.

"I'm not falling." Booth smirked like he didn't take Zack at his word. Zack blinked and the next thing he knew he was kissing Special Agent Seeley Booth. There was an intake of breath and Booth's mouth opened…probably to say something but some sense of recklessness took hold of Zack and the thought this may be his only chance to kiss Booth crossed his mind so he wrapped his unbroken arm around Booth's neck and started to kiss intensely. He was afraid that if he stopped kissing the federal agent then he would get punched in the face and thrown out into the street so he simply didn't stop.

Booth wasn't sure what was happening. One second he's goofing off with Zack and then next second he's being kissed by the squint. Booth opened his mouth to ask what Zack was doing but he got an tongue that wasn't his in his mouth for the trouble. Zack was hanging onto him like some desperate dying thing. Booth felt a swell of pity for this kid that was obviously grasping at something that he knew he couldn't have and Booth…gave it to him. He started to kiss back. Zack was stilled momentarily by the reaction and Booth went slow. There was no reason to rush. Booth was just being a Good Sumaritan or something. Zack reacted like a starving man. Booth held Zack close with one arm and laid his left hand on Zack's face and neck. Zack let out a small whimper-moan. Booth was almost positive that Zack didn't know he was making any sounds and that knowledge was endearing to the federal agent. He smiled into the kiss and pulled Zack closer. Zack was practically in his lap and it was obvious that Zack wanted to straddle Booth but the plaster cast on his leg prevented it. Booth compromised by straddling Zack instead, pressing him back into the sofa. Zack moaned and arched up as much as he was able too. Booth was surprised how passionate Zack was and nipped along the scientist's jaw to see what other sounds Zack could make. Zack whimpered and gasped as Booth bit his ear. "Booth!" Zack moaned. Booth switched to feather-light kisses down Zack's neck, completely aroused by the way his surname sounded coming from the littlest squint. Zack thrashed when Booth ran a hand up under his shirt along his bruised ribs. "Ow!" Booth stopped and pulled back completely.

"Are you okay?" he asked, freaked that he might have hurt Zack. Zack blinked up at him.

"I'm fine….just when I moved suddenly my ribs hurt. What you were doing felt really good." Booth felt his eyes dilate at Zack's matter-of-fact tone. Zack licked his lips when he noticed the reaction. "Really, really good." Booth responded by attacking Zack's lips again. Zack kissed back just as hard as Booth was putting out. Booth kissed his way back to Zack's neck and bite down on the squint's pulse point. Zack moaned and the doorbell rang. The two men froze. Booth quickly stood and went to the door. He smiled at the delivery boy and accepted the food and six-pack of generic coke.

"Uh…Tony said that eating all this by yourself is a good way of getting fat…" the delivery boy said nervously. Booth laughed.

"Ask him 'if that's what happened to him?' for me." he replied and handed the kid a twenty. The kid's eyes widened and he ran off. Booth turned around kicked the door closed. "Three pounds of toppings. A slice is enough to feed a small kid like you for a week." Booth sat down on the couch and put the food on the coffee table.

"I'm not a kid. I'm twenty-nine years old….I'll be thirty the twenty-fifth of August of this year."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"You're older than Sweets?"

"Yes." Zack confirmed and stared at the food. Booth cracked a smile and opened the pizza box and grabbed the carton of hot wings. Zack just stared at the pizza. "That's a lot of toppings."

"Three pounds of hamburger, pepperoni, ham, bacon, peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, mushrooms, sausages, pineapple, chicken, olives, onions, and four kinds of cheese…it's amazing. Try it." Zack took a slice carefully and balanced toward his mouth. Booth had a dripping wing pitched in both his hands.

"You're going to ruin your shirt." Zack observed. Booth was still wearing a white work shirt. Booth looked down and made a grunting sound. He put the hot wing down, sucked the sauce from his fingers and took off his shirt. Zack blinked then immediately turned away and stuffed his pizza into his mouth as Booth picked up the hot wing again. The probability that Zack would end up sitting next to a shirtless Booth on Booth's couch having just been making out with the man was astronomically high. Zack would have to reconsider other statistical impossibilities…like the concept of God.

They watched ESPN and ate food. The make-out session seemed to have been set like several of Zack's romantic entanglements in the past…they didn't talk about it or acknowledge that it happened after the fact. That was fine with Zack…he expected that sort of thing. It was a fluke in the data. Booth cracked one of the cans of soda open and handed it to Zack who forgot he wasn't allowed to have caffeine because it made him antsy and drank it. Eventually, somewhere around Zack's second slice of pizza, he and Booth got into a informal competition on how fast they could eat. As Zack was about to lose he burped loudly and Booth burst out laughing. Zack snorted. "Your face is covered with hot sauce." he pointed out.

"Is it?"

"Yes. From here" Zack pointed to Booth's nose. "to here" Booth's right cheek. "to here." The federal agent's chin. Booth nodded slowly. He finished the last wing in his hand and grabbed the front of Zack's tee shirt and wiped his face and hands with it. "Aah! Booth! Stop!" Zack was laughing though. It tickled. Zack snorted. Booth collapsed across Zack's lap, shaking with laughter. "This was my only shirt…the rest of my clothes were blown up." Booth sat up, annoyed.

"Fine." He grabbed the edges of Zack's shirt and pulled it off of him.

"HEY!!" Booth stood up and walked down the hallway. Zack turned slowly so that he could watch Booth over the back of the couch. He crossed his arms along the back of the couch and rested his head on his cast. "What are you doing?"

"I'm putting your shirt in the wash, Zack."

"But what if we need another napkin?" Booth stopped and turned. Zack was smiling. "Yes?"

"Are you messing with me?" Zack narrowed his eyes in confusion.

"Define 'messing with you', please."

"Are you joking with me?"

"I'm not sure. I find your reactions to my statements amusing and that _is_ my only shirt….like these are my only pants, shoes and pair of socks…the explosion was inconvenient to say the very least." Booth rolled his eyes and opened the utility closet and threw Zack's shirt in the wash then turned on the machine. Zack watched Booth quietly, his left hand drooping over the back of the couch and idly tracing invisible designs on the fabric. Booth turned and looked at Zack.

"Zack?"

"Hmm?" Zack refocused his eyes. Booth's arms were crossed.

"Do you have a crush on me?" The question was unexpected to Zack. He remained quiet. "Zack…answer the question."

"I find you ascetically pleasing." Zack stated blankly, robotically. It was moments like these that Zack wondered why there was such a thing as emotions as they usually got him in trouble. Booth glared at him. The agent knew the tone from work and Booth wasn't going to let the squint hide behind that facade at that moment.

"That's nice to hear, Zack, but that isn't an answer to my question. Yes or No. Do you have a crush on me?" Zack's gaze dropped to the floor and what Booth could see of his body shrank behind the couch.

"Yes." Booth's eyes narrowed. Zack sounded ashamed.

"For how long?" Booth asked. Zack sighed.

"Since you first started working with Dr. Brennan." Booth pulled back a little.

"That long?" Zack nodded, not looking up. "I couldn't tell."

"I didn't want you to know." Zack shrugged, still tracing patterns on the back of the couch and not meeting Booth's gaze. "I was afraid you'd shoot me."

"I wouldn't have shot you, Zack."

"You've threatened to on multiple occasions…I wasn't about to give you another reason to add to that list...like threatening your masculinity." Booth felt bad and moved toward Zack. The squint didn't move.

"Zack…I'm not a homophobe….you're bi and staying in my apartment. I don't have a problem with that."

"You freaked when you first found out." Zack reminded him of the facts.

"That was shock. I wasn't expecting you to be into guys….wasn't expecting you to be dating a married man or play basketball really well. It was a culture shock, okay?"

"That's an inappropriate use of the phrase 'culture shock'." Zack pointed out.

"Okay, interpersonal relationship shock then." Booth amended. Zack looked up.

"There's no such thing." Zack sounded frustrated.

"There is now. I just made it up."

"That makes it fiction." Booth crossed his arms and tapped his foot. "I'm going to shut up now." Zack stayed watching Booth who was glaring at him.

"Zack…"

"Yes, Agent Booth?"

"Why…why didn't you say anything to anybody, ever?"

"There wasn't any hope of you returning the attraction so I've been trying to suppress my feelings for you."

"Zack, that's not healthy." Zack shrugged.

"It's reality though." Zack turned back to watch ESPN. He grabbed another slice of pizza, not because he was hungry, but because it gave him something to do other than submit to the awkward atmosphere that he suddenly found himself in. Booth walked over and blocked Zack's view of the television. Zack looked at the federal officer and shifted uncomfortably. He then winced. His squirming agitated his injured ribs.

"Zack. Look at me." Zack looked out the window. Booth growled and two seconds later Booth was in front of him, forcing Zack to look at him. Zack winced, his injuries throbbing. Booth let go but then put his arms gently back on Zack's shoulders to keep him from turning away again. "Zack…." he said gently. Zack looked at him defiantly. Booth recognized the look of a man who had been hurt too many times and was about to go on the offensive. Booth found the best way to deal with people like that was to give up. He kissed Zack. Zack started, surprised, than opened his mouth. Booth took the invitation for what it was….startled hope. He then startled himself by deepening the kiss. Zack reached up and touched Booth's jaw. Booth kissed harder and Zack reciprocated the intensity. Booth placed a hand on Zack's side causing Zack to moan into Booth's mouth. Booth was back to straddling Zack and Zack's free arm was draped around Booth's neck, hanging onto the federal officer.

"Booth…" Zack moaned, his lower lip caught in between Booth's teeth. Booth pushed his mouth back toward Zack's mouth and his tongue swept along the roof of the scientist's mouth. Zack cried out and Booth shifted closer so that their pelvises were in contact. Zack slide his hand down to Booth's hip; sliding it partly down Booth's pants then giggled suddenly. Booth pulled back and looked at Zack askew.

"Zack…what was that?" Zack was still giggling.

"I was just thinking that you have a very nice pelvis bone….and got a visual of the actual bone." Booth looked down at the younger man.

"That's a little weird, Zack."

"It's a game I play to keep my mind sharp. I watch people and try to figure out what their bones look like…it helps me in the lab."

"I see." Zack shifted and look uncomfortable which was really adorable for Booth so he kissed him again. Zack responded, dragging his nails along Booth's waist line. The federal agent shuddered. "Zack" he moaned. Zack was emboldened by Booth's response and dipped his fingers deeper down Booth's pants only to retreat when Booth's tongue did something distracting to Zack's tongue. Booth ran his hands down Zack's shoulders and Zack opened Booth's pants, shoving his hand down into his underwear. Booth stopped kissing Zack and dropped his head to Zack's shoulder and moaned. Zack moved Booth's face back up to kiss him and started to stroke him in earnest. It wasn't long before Booth was thrusting in Zack's hand. He moved Zack's hand and pushed and pulled until Zack was lying on his back on the couch. Zack thrust up into the dip of Booth's hips. Booth bite down on the squint's neck and gave him one heck of a hickey. Zack tried to raise his right arm but conked Booth in the head with his cast. "OW!!" Zack dropped his arm.

"Sorry. Forgot about the cast." Booth looked down at him and laughed. Zack smiled back and grounded up into Booth. Booth groaned and attacked Zack's clavicle. "Careful of my bruises." Booth hummed and pressed down on Zack's body. Zack's body thrashed and he yelped. "Ow!" Booth ignored it and licked a nipple. Zack arched up and flipped Booth onto his back with sudden leverage. "Much better…now I can breathe." Booth opened his mouth and then decided to laugh. Zack leaned down and kissed Booth.

Soon, both men's pants were somewhere around their knees and they were thrusting against the other's skin diligently. Zack was biting and licking Booth's clavicle while Booth's hands were everywhere. ESPN was still going loudly in the background while the men themselves were very quiet except for the occasional surprised moan, the slid of skin against skin and increasingly loud breathing. Zack reached down and grabbed both of their erections and stroked, hard. Booth moaned loudly. Zack stroked harder and Booth dropped his head back to the couch arm.

"You're really good at that." Zack swiped his thumb over a particularly sensitive patch of Booth's skin. "Oh" Booth's leg kicked out unconsciously against the far sofa arm and he scratched his nails down Zack's back. Zack moaned and his mouth lost perchance on Booth's throat. Booth grabbed Zack's upper thighs and pushed up. Zack pushed down over and over until they were both grunting and gasping completion.

* * *

**_Author After Talk_**: There a good long chapter with smut. Hopefully five later today.

Tropic


	21. Chapter 21

**_The Face with Two Skeletons_**

**_By_**: Tropicwhale

**_Disclaimer_**: Mine? Who's been saying that wonderful lie? oh...ignore them, they lie like rugs. Bones and all things associated with the show belong to other people...dammit.

**_Author Talk_**: I have work but I'm writing chapter 24 now so expect a massive dump of chapters late this evening.

* * *

**_Chapter Twenty-One_**

Brennan considered Booth's face as they ate lunch. Booth had admitted that he was letting Zack stay with him until better accommodations could be made which Brennan thought was very Samaritan of him seeing as it was common knowledge that her assistant really annoyed her partner. Considering that fact, Booth looked incredibly at ease for having to spent time with one of his least favorite people on Brennan's team. Brennan shook off the feeling considering that she hated psychology and it wasn't her place to try and analyze the 'chilled' vibe Booth was giving off. Currently she was informing Booth of Angela's discovery of the Alabamian skeleton's face. "So you think that the two skeletons could be related?" Booth asked. "I mean the one was found in Alabama in the 1930's and Anne's like recently dead. Distant relations?" Booth was fishing. There was no concrete proof of his hypothesis.

"No. I discovered that the Alabamian skeleton is only a few months old…six on the outside and she was murdered with the same type of shot as Anne Zerbrowski."

"That's weird."

"Yes. The odds of the two victims being found approximately six hundred miles from each other with the same facial reconstruction and the same cause of death is astronomically high. Cam is running a DNA analysis to see if there is a relationship between them."

"Like if they're twins?"

"Exactly."

"See, that's going to be a problem…according to Anne's medical records she's an only child." Brennan was confused and intrigued at the same time.

"That's weird."

"Yeah. Why would her parents give up one twin and keep the other?"

"That's speculation and you know I'm uncomfortable with that sort of speculation. After all, the Alabamian skeleton could have the birth parents and Anne was adopted."

"Alright, so we need to find out who the second skeleton is."

"Yes which is going to be complicated. Zack started the investigation but according to the evidence storage of the Houston County Sheriff Department there is no record of a homicide within the last six months of a female with the remains' parameters, missing persons matching the face, or old remains found in that particular swamp."

"So we have two victims, with the same face, neither of which were missed and killed in the same way. Sounds like a serial killer." Booth clarified.

"It does. But if it is....it's a serial killer with a large hunting ground."

"They could be traveling the country like Ted Bundy did." Brennan considered the validity of that theory.

"I still think that it has something to do with this particular family….the twins." Booth looked down at his food.

"Yeah, I agree. Zack's got to be frustrated that he can't work on this skeleton as well." Brennan looked away, feeling guilty.

"I haven't told him yet." Booth looked at her. "I felt bad with all that's happened to him. That skeleton is the only reason he's coming to work these days. There really isn't that much else for him to do."

"That's terrible, Bones. You should tell him before he goes into work tomorrow thinking he's going to be working on those bones."

"Whose going to be working on what bones?" Brennan looked up and Booth turned to see Ms. Julian lumbering toward them.

"Zack working on a set of bones from Alabama." Brennan explained. "Angela did a facial reconstruction on a whim and the remains look identical to Anne Zerbrowski." Ms. Julian looked confused at that.

"Is there any reason to suspect that the two cases could be linked in any way?" Ms. Julian asked.

"The remains show trauma of being killed the same way as Anne and their face is the same…so the odds are that they're cases are connected." Brennan explained.

"That's gambling talk, missy, and I can't abide by that but, considering the circumstances, they aren't the same crime." Ms. Julian asked. Brennan was confused.

"I don't understand the nuance." Booth snapped his fingers when Ms. Julian looked at him like she did whenever Brennan annoyed her. Brennan looked at her partner.

"Even if they had the same murderer, because of the distance they would be tried separately."

"So Zack can work on the Alabamian skeleton?" Brennan confirmed. "This will be very good news for Zack," she told Booth. "especially after everything."

"That's exactly what I'm saying, cheri. What exactly happened to Dr. Addy?"

"He and Angela were nearly killed when Zack's apartment blew up..." Brennan explained.

"Also he got dumped by the husband of our first victim because Zack told us that they were involved and that he didn't want to interfere with the investigation." Booth added.

"Smart boy. Is this husband a lawyer?" Ms. Julian sat down next to Booth and signaled for her usual coffee.

"Yes. A defense lawyer." Brennan confirmed from memory.

"God, I hate defense lawyers. They're all so-sleazy."

"You've been a defense lawyer on occasion." Brennan reminded her. Ms. Julian pointed at her as her coffee was delivered.

"Yes, but only as a favor to Booth." She poured Sweet-N-Low into her coffee and pinched Booth's cheek. "He's such a cutie."

"Thank you, Ms. Julian." It was obvious even to Brennan that Booth was 'hamming it up' for the prosecutor. He had a big grin on his face and he winked at the older woman. Ms. Julian patted him on the arm.

"You're welcome, Agent Booth. Anyway, you tell Zack he's better off without sneaking around with that sleaze although I don't know if he'll find anyone else that would want him. That boy is an odd one." Booth shifted.

"Zack has his moments. He plays basketball good."

"He plays basketball well." Brennan corrected automatically. Booth waved her off. "Although I try to not speculate on my subordinates' private lives."

"What about Dr. Hodgins and Ms Montenegro?"

"Although Hodgins and Angela pursue a romance relationship outside of work I have found that it doesn't affect the working environment as much as I thought it would initially. Also, the relationship between Booth and Cam-"

"Hey! That was over a long time ago." Booth protested. "We don't need to dig up ancient history."

"Yes, but last year you and Cam engaged in sexual inter-"

"BONES!" Booth shouted. The entire restaurant stopped and looked over at their booth. "Shut it, will you?" Booth pleaded a little desperately. "It's ancient history." Ms. Julian looked at him as if she wanted to say something sarcastic but decided against it. The noise in the Diner went back up to normal levels. Ms. Julian rolled her eyes.

"Okay, look, you two. Conflict of interest happens all the time. It's completely normal. The fact you and your whole squint squad try and stay bone dry, excuse the expression, from emotional entanglements of any kind is just a little bit unnatural…in fact it's just plain freaky. So stop it. That is my advice….and I'm finished my coffee so adios, my cheris." With that the lawyer stood and barreled out of the Diner. Booth promptly restarted conversation by asking if Brennan knew when Zack's casts were coming off. Brennan said that she thought it was sometime in the next few days and wondered why Booth was scratching under his collar like that.

* * *

**_Author After Talk_**: More late tonight also, if you like Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Angel and Slash (which, lets face it I know you do) check out my Spander series, "Grimmoire". It folliows a post-series, mid comic relationship between Xander Harris and the vampire, Spike, as they try to save the world from the distructive forces of the Grimmoire of Morgan LeFay and deal with each other in a "grown-up relationship". I think it's worth the look-see but then...I wrote it so maybe not so on the trusting my opinion yes?

Love from the Dorkside;

Tropic


	22. Chapter 22

**_The Face with Two Skeletons_**

**_By_**: Tropicwhale

**_Disclaimer_**: Mine? Who's been saying that wonderful lie? oh...ignore them, they lie like rugs. Bones and all things associated with the show belong to other people...dammit.

**_Author Talk_**: So close. Stay tuned for an important announcement at the end of the feature.

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-Two**

A few days later Zack had his leg cast off and was down to an ace bandage on his wrist therefore cleared for travel. Dr. Brennan agreed to send him to Alabama to figure out the origins of the bones. Zack found this odd seeing as there was a lot of odd things going on with those bones but assumed that it was because Dr. Brennan were consumed with Anne Zerbrowski's murder and really what he was looking for was a paper trail or a simple mistake in shipping. Angela was going with him…Zack had the singular suspicion that Booth didn't want him wandering on his own which was completely unnecessary. Zack could take care of himself but he was happy for the company. He hated to fly.

They went to the University of Alabama at Birmingham first to ensure that the skeleton did come from them in the first place. The numbers and everything matched up which was very frustrating to Zack and very boring to Angela. The secretary was very excited to meet them and immediately started to ask about Dr. Brennan which made Zack very uncomfortable but Angela knocked the girl into her place by reminding her that there was at the very least mislabeled remains of a murder victim that came from her department. The secretary blushed and quietly gave them the information to get to the evidence storage building which was 'across town' from the sheriff's department. Angela drove the rental car as Zack sat quietly in the passenager's seat contemplating various scenarios starring him and Booth having sex. "Hey, Zack. What're you thinking about?" Angela asked suddenly. Zack was startled out of his thought processes. He was certain that Booth wouldn't appreciate Zack telling Angela that they had had sex.

"Zerbrowski." he said, the first word that popped into his mind. Angela sighed and patted his knee.

"You know, sweetheart, you really should just forget about him. He's not worth it." Zack shrugged and looked out the window at the countryside they were driving through. It alternated between swamp and farmland.

"He was my friend. I am upset that we stopped being friends….anyway the physical aspect was secondary and not that interesting." Angela laughed.

"You have the worst sex life I've ever heard of Zack."

"I've had really good sex….just not very often or for a...." he was about to say 'a long time' but that would be lying and he didn't want to lie to Angela. "awhile."

"When was the last time you had great sex, Zack?" Angela sounded amused. Zack stopped and blushed. He turned back toward the window. The last time he had great sex was a few days ago with Agent Booth but he wasn't about to tell Angela that. "Oh, I saw that blush…tell me!!"

"I'd rather not." Zack stated blankly.

"Alright…tell me what you define as great sex." Zack felt his pupils dilate in response to the arousal he now felt remember his time with the federal agent in tactile detail.

"We….I don't have to think about what the other person wants and know that they are happy with my performance. Um…" Zack was finding it difficult to put his thoughts into words.

"So you feel taken care of?" Angela clarified.

"Yes but also that I'm taking care of them without trying."

"A mutual caretaking. Alright. I can understand that. You probably have to trust this person, right?"

"Yes. Trust is a definite….would it be completely shallow of me to say they have to be a really good kisser?" Zack wondered. Angela snorted in amusement.

"No, Zack. You're allowed to like having sex with someone who is an good kisser."

"Not just good. Amazing. They have to have the ability to make me forget my own name temporarily. I really like someone who likes to kiss. Zerbrowski and Naomi both preferred not to kiss….or rather they liked it when-" Zack cut himself off, unwilling to continue his explanation of the private matter with his co-worker.

"They both preferred to see what your mouth could do to them rather than what their mouths could do for you." Zack blushed again.

"Something like that. They both seemed overly fond of…I think you would say giving me head?"

"They both liked to go down on you. Yeah, okay. You didn't like that?"

"It makes me feel like I owe them something and I think oral sex is very unhygienic so I try not to engage in it....except-"

"Your partners leave you a position that makes you feel like you should."

"Exactly."

"So when was the last time you didn't feel pressured during sex with a really great kisser that you trusted." Zack blushed and balled up in his seat.

"I'd rather not say…I think we're here." Zack said, looking down at the directions and checking the address on the squad concrete building that was on the right side of the car. Angela slowed, put on her turn signal and turned into the driveway. They parked and got out. Zack held the door opened for Angela and they stepped into the air conditioned building out of the southern mosquito-infested humidity. A bell rang as they entered and a woman Zack thought was in her early fifties popped up from under the caged counter. She was short with brown hair that had graying frizzies and more laugh lines than frown lines on her face. Actually, Zack thought she reminded him of his mother's Aunt Sally.

"How can I help you folks?" she asked in what could be described as a playful southern drawl.

"Pack Rat?" Zack inquired, recognizing the voice.

"Who asks?" the woman was suspicious.

"Dr. Zack Addy from the Jeffersonian in Washington D.C. We talked on the phone a week and three days ago?" The woman's face brightened.

"Oh the man with the stray skeleton. Hello, how you doing?"

"Still trying to figure it out." Zack nodded. "This is my co-worker, Angela Montenegro." Pack Rat shook the woman's hand through the delivery slot in the cage.

"How do you do? I'm Lt. Sgt. Vanessa Marin but folks call me Pack Rat on account I keep all the evidence from every crime in Houston County since 1941 right here in this building."

"Angela." Pack Rat pulled up a stool and sat on it.

"Any luck hunting down who the woman was?" Pack Rat asked. Angela shook her head.

"No." Zack verbalize. Pack Rat nodded. Zack handed her the files they got from the fangirl secretary at the university through the slot. Pack Rat flicked them open and perused the contents of the file.

"This doesn't look at all familiar." the police woman said.

"Would a picture of her face help?" Angela asked and handed another sketch of the skeleton to Pack Rat. Pack Rat pursed her lips and shrugged.

"Looks familiar but I can't place where I've seen her before." Zack clenched his left hand into a fist briefly by his side to relieve tension. It was frustrating. Pack Rat handed the picture back to Angela. Just then the door rang again. Pack Rat smiled at the new arrival. "Sheriff Riley! What can I help you with?" Zack and Angela moved out of the way to let the older man through. Zack froze when he spotted the other man's face. It was stern and a little intimidating. Sheriff Riley barely glanced in his direction.

"Hey Pack Rat. Was wondering if I could see the broken lock from the Smiths' robbery case?"

"Sure thing, Sheriff." Pack Rat disappeared through a door recessed into the wall to her left. Sheriff Riley leaned his hip against the countertop which left his hip holster free and turned him to face the two squints. Zack had wandered so he was behind Angela and the sheriff couldn't see him. Angela didn't seem to share her co-worker's anxiety.

"Hi." She said friendly enough. The sheriff narrowed his eyes.

"Who are you?"

"We're from the Jeffersonian Institute in Washington." Angela bounced her head to either side, smiling. "There was some confusion about a skeleton we received and we traced it back to here." The sheriff snorted.

"What sort of problem?"

"Well, the paperwork for this particular skeleton says it was found in Pittman Bay in 1930- something and our forensic anthropologist discovered it isn't older than six months old. The university that sent it to us said it came from your sheriff department."

"That sounds like it was more your problem than ours." He told her. Angela wilted a little and Pack Rat came out from a door behind the Sheriff.

"Here, sign out, Sheriff." The sheriff turned and signed a piece of paper on a clipboard that the older woman held out. "Oh hey!! Maybe the sheriff will be able to identify your missing person. He knows practically every living soul in Houston County." Angela stepped forward and held out the picture. Sheriff Riley barely glanced at it.

"Don't recognize it." Angela looked mildly defeated.

"Alright…where to next, Zack?" The artist turned to face Zack which gave Sheriff Riley a good look at the scientist. Zack felt the blood leave his face. "Zack? Sweetie? What's amatter? You look ill." Angela looked back and forth between the two men. "Do you know each other?"

"No" The sheriff said abruptly the same time Zack said "Yes"

"Zack?" Angela looked at her co-worker.

"He's Mr. Hector Oscarmann…I used to date his son until he walked in on us and shot Bradley. He's suppose to be in jail in Michigan." Zack explained. The sheriff drew his gun and aimed it at Zack. Angela gasped and backed away.

* * *

_**Author After Talk**_: Change of plans!! I think that I'm only going to take it to the next two chapters because I don't have chapter twenty-five written and I want to do a good job on it. However, "Sometime around Midnight" Chapter one needs to be written. So I'm going to post the last two chapters tomorrow and the first chapter of "Midnight" then as well. So there's going to be a bit of an overlap in the fics but this one is still going on hiatus because I just don't have the attention span to do math homework, follow spot, and two fics at the same time. So there will be two more chapters not three and it'll sort of be over the next day and a half. Sorry for the inconvenience but I hope you continue to read my work.

Tropic


	23. Chapter 23

**_The Face with Two Skeletons_**

**_By_**: Tropicwhale

**_Disclaimer_**: Mine? Who's been saying that wonderful lie? oh...ignore them, they lie like rugs. Bones and all things associated with the show belong to other people...dammit.

**_Author Talk_**: Yeah. Like I was going to leave you on that horrible cliff hanger. I'm not _that _evil.

* * *

**_Chapter Twenty Three_**

Zack froze at the sight of the gun, flashing back to that night when Bradley died. "Hey now. Let's not do anything rash." Angela said. Oscarmann pulled back the safety on the gun. Zack could feel his heartrate increase and his breathing become fast and shallow. The next thing that Zack knew he was being pulled to the side by Angela and there was a gun shot. The next few moments were a blur of confusion. When Zack raised his head Pack Rat had Oscarmann on the floor, his gun was sprawled across the floor way out of arm-reach and the police woman was using the sheriff's hand-held to radio for back-up. Angela was asking Zack if he was okay and there was a ringing in his ears. Zack recognized the numbness that he felt as shock.

Ten minutes later Oscarmann was being taken away in the back of a police car and Angela was phoning Brennan and Booth to get down to Alabama ASAP. Pack Rat was giving Zack some of her special Southern Comfort hot chocolate which was really good but it wasn't until his second cup did Zack realize that perhaps "Southern Comfort" was less about Alabamian hospitality and more about alcohol if the buzzing in his head was any indication. He stopped drinking it. He didn't drink alcohol. His brain was fuzzy enough for his liking.

About three hours later found Zack, Angela, and Pack Rat sitting in Houston County police headquarters giving statements. Someone had run a check on "Sheriff Hector Riley's" face and come up with an escaped convict from four years ago by the name of Hector Oscarmann for killing his son. Olivia Oscarmann had also disappeared and it was assumed that she had helped her husband escape. Their whereabouts were unknown…at least until Zack had recognized Oscarmann in the evidence locker. Zack was recounting to a uniformed police officer how he knew Oscarmann which led to the officer doing that bigoted sensitivity that the police in Michigan had showed Zack the days following Bradley's murder. Zack answered everything as truthfully and robotically as he could as it would impede their investigation if he allowed his emotions about this event to cloud his judgment and memory of what happened. Then, Booth and Brennan stepped into the police station. Booth flashed his badge and without so much as a glance at Zack went over to Angela to figure out what had happened. Zack took a deep breath and reminded himself that he was being questioned and that Booth interrupting them to check on Zack would be insulting to the officer questioning Zack, suspicious because he shouldn't care that much about Zack, and that Zack, himself, really couldn't remember much after that gun was pulled on him so Booth asking him anything would be next to useless. Even reinforced with that logic Zack couldn't seem to shake the feeling of rejection and despair at Booth's flawless professionalism. He forced himself to focus on the interview.

Booth on the other hand went right from questioning Angela to see Oscarmann, still wearing his sheriff's uniform, in his cell. Booth had the now derisively arrogant man to the interrogation room for further questioning. Angela had handed him the portrait of the woman's skeleton but Booth wanted her and Brennan beside him when he interrogated the escaped convict. Unlike the interrogation room at the FBI headquarters the one of Huston County was probably once a storage closet and had a CCTV camera set up in one corner that was connected to the adjacent room to a television so that others could watch the examination. Booth tapped the table and looked at Oscarmann who had his arms crossed and was scowling at the fed. "So, do you recognize this woman?" Booth tapped the sketch that Angela pushed toward the criminal.

"No." Oscarmann didn't even look at the paper; choosing instead to glare down Booth who was unaffected. Booth raised his eyebrows.

"Are you sure? Because your body language states that you don't really want to even consider looking at her. Maybe she was your daughter? What? She was a stripper so you shot her, dropped her in some swamp, dredged her up again then sent her to the University of Alabama at Birmingham under forged papers."

"She's not my daughter. Olivia and I only ever had Bradley and look how that turned out."

"You killed him." Brennan stated.

"I walked in on him and that little sodomite because I thought I heard sounds of a struggle." Booth knew the sound of a rehearsed story when he heard it.

"By 'that little sodomite' you mean Zack?" Brennan asked.

"Yeah. Bradley was a good straight boy. Played sports and everything until that Addy started tutoring him. I lost my son. The things that were going on in that room that night isn't natural. It isn't right. Not by God and not by me. I did what I had to do." Angela stood.

"I'm sorry. I can't stay here and listen to this." She started to leave but Booth grabbed her arm.

"Sit, Angela. We're almost through." Angela sat down but it was clear she was uncomfortable by the proximity to Oscarmann as if the bigotry could wear off on her by proximity. "So you did what you had to do." Booth repeated. "Is that why you convinced your wife to help you escape and come back down to Sweet Home Alabama? Change your identities, forge documentation of your police training as Hector Riley, start a whole new life without the stain of your son's homosexuality all over it."

"That's right."

"And it was working out for you."

"Yes." Booth nodded.

"Who's the girl?"

"Don't know."

"Where's your wife?" Oscarmann shifted. "Don't you know?" Booth could play tough hard-ass as well as the next guy.

"She went missing about six months ago." Oscarmann admitted.

"Why didn't you report her missing? The wife of a sheriff would have had top priority in a small community like this." Brennan stated.

"Ain't it obvious, Bones? An Amber Alert would have gone out plastering his and Olivia's face all over the news nationwide, including in Michigan where they are wanted fugitives." Booth never lost eye contact with the fake sheriff. "So Oscarmann here just pretended like she was sick or something; downplayed the whole disappearance until her cleaned bones showed up on his porch in a box....or something like that. Maybe his desk at work in the police station?" Oscarmann shifted uncomfortably. "But Hector Oscarmann here was smart. He knew how to forge signatures and papers so he sent it off to the university thinking that was the end of that. In a few months he would admit that Olivia left him for another man and it was his pride to hide it from everyone. The perfect cover for a missing wife…question is…how much is he willing to admit to? Did he murder her? Maybe she didn't want to live on the run anymore. Maybe she wanted a divorce. Maybe-" Oscarmann cut off Booth's speculation by pulling the portrait to him.

"That can't be Olivia…she's too thin. My wife was about ninety pounds overweight." Angela pulled the sketch back toward her and filled out the face more.

"Like this?" she pushed the paper back to Oscarmann. He looked down and sighed heavily.

"Yeah. That's Olivia. Anyone in the station would able to recognize her." He turned away as Booth stood and walked over to Oscarmann.

"Hector Oscarmann, I am placing you under arrest for suspicion of the murder of Olivia Oscarmann, the federal crime of forgery, escaping from prison and crossing state lines, impersonating an officer of the law in the county of Houston, Alabama, and the attempted murder of Dr. Zack Addy. There's probably more but I think that's a good enough starter list, don't you?" Booth pulled Oscarmann to his feet and cuffed him. "You have the right to remain silent, anything you say can and will be held against you in the court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed for you. Do you understand these rights?"

"Yes."

"I'm taking you back to Washington DC to be questioned because, frankly…this crossed so many state lines I rather just group it all together in one place. What do you think, Dr. Brennan?"

"That would be logical."

"I'll go get Zack." Angela said and stood. "Let's go home."

* * *

**_Author After Talk_**: That better? :)


	24. Chapter 24

**_The Face with Two Skeletons_**

**_By_**: Tropicwhale

**_Disclaimer_**: Mine? Who's been saying that wonderful lie? oh...ignore them, they lie like rugs. Bones and all things associated with the show belong to other people...dammit.

**_Author Talk_**: I wasn't happy with this chapter but I'm stuck on "Midnight" and this chapter has some interesting bits for you to mull over during the Hiatus which will begin officially as this chapter goes up. Hopefully I wil be back to writing "Zooth" in the second half of the mouth of July 2009.

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-Four**

Soon enough Booth and his entire squint squad was back in DC where they belonged and Booth had to explain to his superiors the whole Oscarmann/Zack thing and how, for whatever reason, he thought that this case and the murder of Anne Zerbrowski were connected which was a real headache to the federal agent. Inevitably he was assigned the case of Olivia Oscarmann's murder in connection to Anne Zerbrowski's murder and Brennan was force to tell Zack to go home because, well, he was off the examination of Olivia Oscarmann's bones for obvious reasons. Zack couldn't find a ride home and asked Angela if he could borrow her computer so he could play a game online until someone was freed up enough to take him back to Booth's place. She gave him a pitying look and told him he could. Zack got frustrated by that and called Bailout to come and pick him up. His teammate agreed and even offered to pay for pizza but Zack asked if he was avoiding studying which, of course, Bailout was so Zack said that at least they could go somewhere like P.F Chang's or T.G.I.F's to eat. Bailout enthusiastically agreed and Zack left the Jeffersonian without telling anybody.

Booth on the other hand hunted down Olivia Oscarmann, also known as Olivia Riley, formerly Olivia Specter's medical records and family background. He eventually found them and dropped the entire folder onto Brennan's desk as she was typing up her reports on her computer. "What's this?" she asked. Booth collapsed into a chair across from her and propped his feet onto the desk.

"Olivia Oscarmann's medical records and family background. There is no way her parents were her biological parents. The medical records don't fit." Booth folded his hands on his lap in a very self-satisfied way. "And Zerbrowski is blocking the release of his wife's medical records."

"Why?"

"He's a jerk and doesn't like me."

"That's suspicious."

"It can be but he's using completely legal reasoning to stop the release."

"Like what?"

"Like we already know who she is."

"Oh…that's a rotten reason for impeding a federal investigation."

"Yup. Hate that guy."

"This information might help then." Brennan handed a piece of paper with a lot of stuff Booth didn't understand on it. Booth gave her a look that told her he didn't get it. "Cam got a positive DNA match from both sets of remains that they were not just related but twins."

"So our suspicions are confirmed?"

"Yes. Are we going to pursue that line of the investigation?" Brennan wanted to know. Booth shook his head.

"Both sets of parents are dead. It would be impossible."

"I see."

"What's really interesting is that both sisters married young and to older men."

"Why is that significant to the investigation?"

"Nothing really except it gives us some insight into our victims."

"They both wanted to be taken care of and ended up with jerks?" Brennan supposed.

"Exactly. So what's the connection between the two sisters?" Booth enjoyed these conversations with Brennan. It helped him figure stuff out when he said stuff aloud.

"Nothing except that they were twins…. separated at birth."

"Which sounds like a bad nineties sitcom." Brennan obviously didn't get the pop culture reference.

"So how are we sure that their deaths weren't sheer coincidence?"

"We don't except for circumstantial evidence."

"Which wouldn't necessarily hold up in court." Brennan sounded disappointed. Booth nodded to show his solidarity in her disappointment. "So what are we going to do?"

"Don't know just work with what we have."

"Did anything come up with Anne' masseuse lover at the spa?"

"Cleaner than a whistle except that he was having an affair with every other regular at Mason le Renoucement" Brennan laughed at his bad French.

"Maison De Recommencement"

"Whatever. So what would be the motives for killing Anne Zerbrowski?"

"Jealous lover."

"Which covers both her affair and her husband's."

"Money."

"Which covers her husband."

"She's was considered unpleasant."

"She was a bitch….which covers anyone who ever met her."

"That doesn't narrow down the suspects does it?"

"No." Booth could tell by looking at Brennan's face that she was frustrated by that fact. Cam stuck her head into the room.

"Has either of you seen Zack?" They shook their heads.

"No. Why?" Brennan asked.

"Angela said that he asked to play games on her computer until someone could take him home but he's not in her office or Limbo or anywhere." Booth frowned.

"That's weird. Does he have a cell?" Cam shook her head.

"He doesn't like them." Brennan explained. "Do you think that he might have gotten a ride home with someone?" Cam shook her head.

"Everyone I've talked to says that they haven't seen him all day…and some were asking inappropriate questions about him and the cases we're working on which leads me to think he's hiding out somewhere or something." Cam's tone and facial expression showed her disgust at other people's discourtesy.

"Maybe he called one of his basketball teammates to pick him up?" Brennan guessed.

"Maybe." Cam said. "Do either of you have a contact list for them?" Cam closed her eyes and held up a hand. "Nevermind, forget I asked that." She looked at the pair. "I'm just being a mother hen about it. Zack's a grown-up. He can take care of himself. We told him to go home and he did. There really isn't anything else we can do about it." It sounded like she was trying to convince herself more than Brennan and Booth. She walked out. Brennan and Booth looked at each other.

"It seems like everyone is treating Zack like he's an incompetent, lately." Brennan observed. "Ever since we discovered the remains were the wife of the man that Zack was having an affair with and his apartment blew up we've all been treating him like he's going to break."

"We've all?"

"I'll admit that I've caught myself being a little less firm in my decisions involving Zack. It's seems I've been feeling protective over him. What about you?"

"What about me?"

"Have you noticed your behavior changing toward Zack since he admitted his bisexuality to you and everything else?"

"Not really." Booth was uncomfortable with his partner's observations.

"You let him stay in your apartment until he can find something better or his apartment is rebuilt."

"That's because I found him sleeping in Limbo." Brennan narrowed her eyes.

"When did this happen?"

"The day he started staying with me. He disappeared. I went searching for him and apparently he sat down on the floor the day before and couldn't get back up again. I didn't think it was fair that Hodgins decided to stay with Angela and Zack was left homeless. I felt bad for the kid."

"He's not a young goat and you just admitted that your attitude toward Zack has changed since the explosion and recent admissions about his private life."

"His house was blown up, Bones!! I'm not inhuman. He needed a place to stay and I wasn't seeing you or Cam stepping up to bat nor was I going to let him just bounce from house to house of his basketball buddies. I'm doing a nice thing for him! You don't need to analyze it!" Booth stood.

"I was merely remarking how you started to treat him more delicately. It's nothing to be ashamed of. We've all been doing the same sort of thing in regards to Zack. Why do I feel like I should be apologizing?" Booth calmed himself down. Brennan didn't know anything.

"No. You're fine and right. I have started to treat Zack differently…letting him get away with more stuff." Booth looked at Brennan. "But he's been acting differently too. He's behaving more human and moody….I can't help myself."

"He probably doesn't appreciate his private life being dragged out on display in his professional environment. I know I wouldn't." she remarked.

"Yeah. And it has to hurt to come face to face with a guy who killed his boyfriend and tried to kill him after his home was blown up and he was taken off a case for conflict of interest then dumped for the same reason by the guy behind the conflict." Brennan nodded.

"So maybe he went to hang out with someone who isn't treating him like he's an infant made of glass." Booth squinched his eyes closed.

"You're mixing metaphors, Bones. It doesn't work."

"Do you get my meaning?"

"Yes but-"

"Then the metaphor holds water." Booth shook his head at his partner's weird syntax. Brennan was one of a kind.

* * *

**_Author After Talk_**: See, I almost wrote "We've all been doing the same thing with Zack that you are." But thought it would sound like Brennan knew something she didn't and I wanted to be nice to Booth right before I put him on a shelf for a month. Sort of a synopsis of this first half of the journey. See you all in an month to bring it on home.

Tropic


	25. Chapter 25

_**The Face with Two ****Skeletons**_

**_By:_** Tropicwhale

**_Disclaimer_**: You know the drill….

**_Author Talk_**: I KNOW. I KNOW. I'm late. Well, better fanfic than other things….and if you didn't get that joke you shouldn't be reading my work as you're too young. :P. Anyway, I didn't finish "Sometime Around Midnight" but am still writing it while I continue to write this one. SO, if Zack says things like "Bloody Hell" or Xander (if you are reading "Midnight") starts babbling in technospeak...oops. :P I found more chapters hidden in the outline so now this story is about 47 chapters long instead of 42. Neat, huh?

PS: My dog died…I had him for twelve years which is the majority of my life and his and I loved him greatly. He wasn't really a dog so much as a half cat-half pig that was the friendliest thing on the planet if you weren't a cat, a rabbit or a squirrel (and that one fox on my graduation day…fucking dog.) As such "Skeletons" and "Sometime Around Midnight" are both dedicated to Pepper. He had cancer and arthritis and was an old dog who lived a life that was full of hugs and belly rubs…it was time for him to pass on….doesn't make the lost any less felt.

**_Dedicated_**: Pepper 1996-2009, love ya, ya mutt.

* * *

**Chapter Twenty Five**

Zack was bored. Even he knows only so many digits of pi to could out in his head while sitting on Booth's couch watching daytime television on Booth's television. Dr. Saroyan had told Zack, on his return to the Jeffersonian, that he could take the rest of the week off. He had tried to argue. He wasn't affected by the fact a gun was pulled on him and he could compartmentalize. She glared at him and had Hodgins take him back to Booth's. Zack wasn't fooled. He knew he was no longer allowed near either case. It was common sense.

It wasn't all bad. He had a free week off. Booth would bring home treatises and journal articles from Dr. Brennan and Sodoku puzzle books from Hodgins and Angela but in the end…Zack was bored. Booth wouldn't talk about either case and had said that his bosses, in the FBI, had agreed to let Zack stay with Booth as a person of interest in the murder cases of both Anne Zerbrowski and Olivia Oscarmann as well as his house blowing up. Booth had tried to talk to Zack about what happened in Alabama but soon gave up because of Zack's general noncommittalness about the matter. Booth gave Zack hurt eyes and left for work and Zack felt guilty about the whole thing. This is why he didn't like emotions. They clouded issues and seemingly simple situations. It wasn't fair to those around him if he let his anger at being kept out of the loop, not being able to work, and Booth….well, Zack couldn't really blame Booth for working as hard as he was to solve the two murders. The faster Mrs. Oscarmann and Anne's murders were solved the faster Zack could go back to work…which is where he excelled. He liked working. It was fun.

There was knocking at the door. Zack got up to answered it. He looked through the peephole to see Ms. Caroline Julian. He opened the door. "Yes, Ms. Julian?" The older black woman really did scare Zack.

"Dr. Addy." She lumbered into Booth's apartment.

"Agent Booth isn't home."

"I know. I just saw him at the Diner not two hours ago." Zack's brow furrowed then he shut the door.

"Dr. Saroyan already informed me that I can't work on either case." Zack said. Ms. Julian looked at him. "Can I get you something to drink? I think Booth has some soda or…water…."

"Water's fine." Zack went into the kitchen to fix Ms. Julian a glass of water. "Little ice, Dr. Addy." Zack added ice from the ice tray in the freezer. When he came back out to the living room Ms. Julian was sitting on the couch. He sat awkwardly next to her.

"No offense, Ms. Julian…but why are you here?" Ms. Julian took a sip of water and set it on a magazine about forensics that was sitting on the coffee table.

"Dr. Addy" she stopped and gave a good look at Zack. "Calm down. You look ready to jump if I so much as say 'boo'. It's making me nervous."

"Sorry. I'm a little bit afraid of you." Ms. Julian smiled.

"Really?"

"Yes."

"See, there's a sadistic side of me that is a little happy about that." She picked up her water and took another sip.

"I didn't kill anybody."

"Guilty conscious, Dr. Addy?"

"It's happening all over again." She looked curious.

"What is?"

"Back in Michigan…everyone thought I….they thought I killed Bradley….or something…even though Mr. Oscarmann said that his 'son was gone.' and he's 'the one that pulled the trigger'. They thought it was my fault and…treated me like I had some contagious disease. My family was just starting to get over that and started inviting me to Michigan for Christmas and Thanksgiving and this happens." Zack looked at Ms. Julian. "It's…." He took a deep breath to calm down. Emotions blurred the facts. "The situations are very similar. I don't like being treated like a murderer or a victim."

"Well, cheri, you kinda elude the same vibes as a puppy." Zack looks at her.

"I'm not a dog. I'm a human. I should be treated with the same respect as everyone else gets. I am also not a child."

"I never-"

"You're being nice to me. Booth is speaking to me directly and letting me stay at his house. Hodgins looks at me like I'm a foreign contamiant in his food. Angela is overly-sympathetic and even Dr. Brennan and Dr. Saroyan are both treating me like I'm going to break down in tears or something. I'm not! I may be emotionally immature but I can take care of myself. I have two doctorates. I am an expert in removing flesh from bone without damage to the skeleton. I got hired as Dr. Brennan's assistant on the merits of my mind and my abilities to compartmentalize. Yes, my house was blown up and yes I had a gun drawn on me but neither of those events means I can't do my job."

"The passion of the young. Hmmph." She shifted in her seat. "Wish I still had that." She shifts against. "As it is….darn it! Your little rant made me forget why I came here."

"It wasn't a rant. I was stating facts."

"Stating facts passionately."

"I would have been a bad lawyer."

"Oh, I know that."

_Elsewhere_……_Dadadum_

Brennan slams the adoption papers onto Booth's desk triumphantly. "I found Anne Zerbrowski, formally Anne Riley's adoption papers." She says smugly before sitting down in one of the chairs at the front of his desk. Booth looked up from whatever it was that he was working on.

"What? How?"

"I have friends in high places, apparently." Booth hated it when she did smug.

"I hate it when you're smug." Brennan flashed him a grin that could light up a room. He picks up the folder. "By the way…I found Olivia Oscarmann's adoption papers." Brennan's smile deflated and Booth turned up the wattage on his own charm smile.

"What?"

"Both our victims were adopted and…." he drums on the tabletop. "Their biological mother is still alive."

"Well, what are we waiting for? Where is she?"

"Actually….she lives in Richmond." Brennan tilted her head sideways. "I know what you're thinking."

"I'm thinking that it's odd that she would put her twin daughters up for adoption and be within a two hour drive from where their bodies were discovered."

"That's what I thought you were thinking."

"So…are we going to check it out?"

"Absolutely. But, first…let me call Zack." Brennan smiles at him. "He gets bored." Booth explained. Brennan's eyebrows raised up. "It's not like we're a couple or anything."

"I never said you were."

"I'm not gay."

"Booth...would you rather Zack move in with me?"

"No. He's fine on my couch. Besides, he has a crush on you. He might think that you letting him stay with you might lead to something more."

"Like sexual intercourse?"

"Yes. Yes, Bones, that's exactly what I was hoping for you to not say aloud."

"Zack knows that, as his employer, it would be ethically remiss of me to engage in any form of personal intercourse that would affect our professional environment."

"Bones…knowing something to be true and hoping for something else is completely different."

"I hate psychology."

"I know."

* * *

**_Author After Talk_**: It's two am. I'm going to bed. Enjoy!!

Tropic


	26. Chapter 26

"_**The Face With Two Skeletons**_"

**_By_**: Tropicwhale

**_Disclaimer_**: Where the wind blows I do not know. Who it blows I do not own….especially if it's Zack, Booth or anything else from the Fox series "Bones".

**_Author Talk_**: BAH!! Fox makes me sad. They cancel stuff for no reason other than it's too liberal. If they didn't have shows like House and Bones I'd totally boycott them. Buster-fuster. Why am I so political today? Must have woken up on the judicial side of the bed.

* * *

**Chapter Twenty Six**

Sarah Seville was a stocky older blonde that carried herself like she was a bombshell in her younger years. Booth would have been mildly impressed with her except she continued to smoke a menthol cigarette as Booth and Brennan conducted their interview on the porch of her duplex on the outskirts of Richmond, Virginia. She wore a floral summer dress that seemed a little more than a decade out of date and her hair back in a pony tail. She had a white wicker porch set with green cushions and sat with her legs crossed at the ankles and her ash tray next to her on an end table. She had flowering bushes along the path to the sidewalk and along her side of the porch. On the other side of the duplex there was a bench swing that moves slightly from when her neighbor had walked inside at the appearance of the federal officer and his squint. Booth and Brennan sat on the love seat of the wicker set and kept bumping elbows as they shifted. "No. I didn't know that she was in D.C." The older woman rasped. "I never went looking for either girl. I asked that they never try to find me. I didn't even know their names were Olivia and Anne. My first husband…I was engaged to him and he was running for office when I first got pregnant. In those days an umarried girl did one of two things. They either got shotgunned or went to live with their distant cousins up north. I chose the second."

"Why" Brennan wanted to know. "Would they shoot you with a shotgun?" Booth nearly laughed. It was obvious she was trying to fish for a shotgun link between the biological mother and the twins' death.

"She means shotgun wedding, Bones. Married while she wasn't showing." Brennan looked confused. "The name is taken from angry fathers holding a shotgun to the heads of the young men that deflowered their daughters." Brennan nodded slowly to show she understood. "If she was to get married and then have twins so close to the wedding it would have looked bad for her husband."

"I see." the forensic anthropologist said slowly.

"There was never an attempt from them to find you? Or visa versa?" Booth asked.

"No, sir. At least none I'm aware of. I had approved of both families and frankly…after everything I've gone through in this life….they were better off not having me in their lives. I've been through six husbands, one of which in the early eighties had me into heroin, I've been raped and had three miscarriages. My only wish is that maybe I'll get lucky and get cancer from smoking. What's the interest in the twins anyway?" Booth scratched his nose. "They in trouble or something? They find each other?"

"In a way." Brennan spoke before Booth could stop her. "They both ended up in my lab at the Jeffersonian."

"What is that you do, Dr. Brennan?"

"I'm a forensic anthropologist. I identify skeletal remains." Ms. Seville looked at her askew.

"What are you saying? My girls are both dead?"

"Yes. Within a few months of each other." Brennan confirmed.

"And you can tell this how?" Ms. Seville wanted to know.

"The remains are less than six months old. Anne was last seen earlier this month and Olivia was last seen six months ago."

"How'd they die?"

"Both women died from a gunshot wound to the chest."

"They both…?" Ms. Seville seemed to lose her voice. "Do you know who did it?" She looked genuinely upset. Brennan looked at Booth. Dealing with emotional birth mothers of murder victims was not her forte.

"We're looking into it." Booth assured her.

"And you're here…" Ms. Seville put it together in her head. "Oh god. My girls…" She went to take a drag off her cigarette, realize it went out and jammed it into the ash tray. She picked up the pack and pulled out a thin cylinder with shaking fingers. She lit it with a cheap lighter. She inhaled and closed her eyes. She exhaled and stared right at Booth. "They didn't contact me. I don't know anything."

"We're just trying to rule you out, Ms. Seville." Booth said. She nodded, rapidly, and took a deep breath then a drag off her cigarette. "Can you tell us about how you got in contact with the adopted families? Or why you chose to separate the twins?"

"I didn't but neither family could afford twins. I went to live with Rosie, my second cousin on my mother side in Michigan. She was the one that helped me find the adoption agency and the families. She had three children at the time…" She paused to take a drag off the cigarette. "Sally, Mary-Jane, and Tony Addy."

"Addy?" Brennan's ears perked up.

"Yeah, Rosie's husband was Anthony Addy. AA." she snorts. "I always got a kick out of that. I helped raise them while I was pregnant and Rosie and Anthony both had to work. I think Tony still lives in Michigan….had six kids." She shakes her head. "He was the one that always kicked me in my shins when I told him to take a bath."

"Six kids? Do you remember their names?"

"Yeah…actually got a picture of them somewhere. Hang-on." She stood and went in the screen door of her house, which banged as it closed. Booth looked over at Brennan.

"You don't think…?" Booth asked.

"That Zack's paternal grandmother was the one that Sarah was sent to when she got pregnant? That would be an amazing coincidence."

"Why does this case always seem to lead back to Zack?"

"I don't know." Brennan said. "But it's messing me out."

"Freaking, Bones, you mean freaking you out." Bones just shrugged at the correction. It was normal for Booth to correct her with colliquial speech as she corrected him with scientific and grammar. Ms. Seville came back out and handed a newspaper clipping to Brennan and sat back down.

"Rosie and I stayed in contact over the years. The one grandson was quite the prodigy. She was so proud." Booth looked over Brennan's shoulder. The clipping had an article from about a child prodigy and the picture showed him and his family. In the center of the large family was Zack. "That's her on the side."

"How old where you when you gave birth?" Brennan wanted to know.

"Sixteen. We were engaged until I finished high school and he was twenty-five. Different times. We were only married for three years. He was abusive. My second husband, Charlie, died in Vietnam. married to him for six months…shame. He was a good man. Third husband was the record; five years. He was the heroin husband. Why?" Booth looked at Brennan. She was doing math in her head. She turned to Booth.

"There's no way we got our victims' ages right."

"Why?"

"We have their ages as 28...there is no way they are less forty something."

"Is it possible you have the wrong women?" Ms. Seville asked, a little frantic.

"That would mean both your daughters are missing and dentals match both women." Boot looked at his partner. "Excuse me." Brennan stood and pulled out her cell. "Hello, Hodgins? Can you put Wendell on the phone? Thank you." She walked away.

"Bones is the best, Ms. Seville. She'll figure it out."

"Is it horrible that I hope this is a mistaken identity thing?"

"No, Ms. Seville. It isn't." She nodded and took a drag off her cigarette. Bones came back.

"You smoked when you were pregnant?" She asked.

"A little."

"Your daughters suffered from a type of growth hormone deficiency that resulted in osteopenia, which means their bones weren't as well formed as they should have been. It is them but they both were very frail which stressed Olivia's joints as she was overweight. Anne suffered multiple hairline fractures as a child."

"Bones." Booth said warningly. Ms. Seville looked heartbroken.

"What? It's the truth." Booth took a deep, calming breath.

"I'm a terrible person." Ms. Seville collapsed in on herself.

"No. You tried to do right by your daughters. You tried." Booth tried to undo the damage his partner had unknowingly wrought.

"And, at the time, there wasn't the knowledge there was today about smoking during pregnancy. Unless you had a M.D., there was no way you could have known how that would have affected your daughters' physiology." Brennan added. "Can we keep this?" She held up the picture of Zack's family. "We'll return it when the investigation is over."

"Yes. Of course." Ms. Seville said. "Excuse me, I feel ill….I need to lie down." She put out her cigarette and walked into her house and slammed the front door. Booth grabbed Bones' elbow and led her back to the car.

"What did I say?" Brennan wanted to know.

* * *

**_Author After Talk_**: I just found out that Zack lived above a twelve car garage that has antique cars and a boat in it. It has a bedroom, a second bedroom, a living room, a kitchen and two bathrooms. He has never been to the main house because it's at the other end of the driveway and he can barely see it because the tennis courts and the pond. I'm sorry I had that wrong….please ignore my screw up, obviously I need to work on the technique I use for research (read watch more "Bones")….I want to see if the pond and the tennis courts can make it in though…who knows maybe I'll correct my mistake later After all I blew up his apartment :P maybe the apartment we saw was a remodel. Hodgins' rich, right? Maybe he got bored. Besides, remodeling his friend's apartment just cause makes him look like philanthropic to Angela which reads as aw, he's sweet and caring…I should do that thing in bed he likes….which suits Hodgins just fine. It's a rich scientist's way of getting some nookie….kinda complicated if you ask me…but you didn't…nevermind. *sigh*

Tropic


	27. Chapter 27

**_The _****_Face _****_with _****_Two _****_Skeletons_**

**_by_**: Tropicwhale

**_Disclaimer_**: Mine as the sky and ocean and the wind in the trees. It's as mine as the men and women over every land and every sea. Mine as the first rush of joy at the sight of a loved one or the babbling stony brook by every field and through every wood. Mine as life and love and joy and sorrow that is in us all. But who could lay claim to those things can lay claim to this. I merely borrow with no profit other than another's joy and the freedom found in writing.

**_Author Talk_**: found more chapters and even another gratuitous sex scene. Lucky…see my Buffy series readers are the Peanuts….do you guys want a nickname? GOT IT! Boddyinites!

Wait.

No.

That was lame.

Sorry.

* * *

**Chapter Twenty Seven**

Booth collapsed on his couch before he even thought to wrest the tie from his neck. "Blech." he said and kicked off his shoes. "What a day." He had a splitting headache. He rubbed at his temples and shut his eyes. His superiors had found out that Zack was staying with him (thank you Bones) and agreed that it looked like these two cases were connected and 'suggested' that Booth not discount Zack's home exploding as a diversion of the young scientist to throw Booth off his scent. Officially, he was to watch Zack like a hawk while Dr. Addy was staying at his domicile.

Booth scoffed. If his superiors had ever met Zack they would know that the littlest squint was no more capable of murder than trying to blow himself up. Besides, Booth's gut said the squint didn't do it. All the signs pointed at Zack and Booth knew that, if Zack was guilty, he would know how to fool the squint squad and Booth. He was crazy smart after all.

Speaking of which…where was Zack? Booth opened his eyes and all but rolled off the couch. He checked the kitchen, his bedroom, and the bathroom.

Nothing. Zack was gone. Booth grabbed his phone and dialed Hodgins. "Hello?" the scruffy bug-guy answered on the second ring.

"You wouldn't have happened to see Zack today, did you?"

"Wow. The grammar of that sentence was completely suckish and no I haven't seen Zack. Why?"

"He's not at home."

"Hm. That's weird."

"Where could he be?"

"Booth. You sound like a worried mother."

"My superiors told me to watch him like a hawk." Booth started pacing and scrubbing his hands through his hair, making it stand on end. "Also, Bones will kill me and make my body disappear if something were to happen to Zack on my watch."

"I'm sure he's fine, Booth." Hodgins assured. Sometimes, Booth wanted to punch the smug bastard out. This was one of those times.

"Hodgins. He hasn't left the house for three days."

"Maybe he went for a walk. He can do that now. He's probably fine, Booth, he's twenty-six. He can take care of himself."

"What are you talking about? Zack's twenty-nine."

"Nooo." Hodgins had that patient squint-trying-to-explain-big-words-to-stupid-fed voice. Booth really wanted to punch him and know where Zack was. Priorities. He had them. "Zack's twenty-six. He was born August 25, 1982." Booth stoppped pacing for a second

"Wait. He said he was twenty-nine." There was silence on the line. "Maybe he forgot and his math slipped up or something."

"Zack's math never slips up." Hodgins discounted the theory quickly.

"Well. Why else would say he was twenty-nine when he's twenty-six?"

"I don't know. Maybe to make you think of him as an adult? I mean, he does spend a lot of time trying to figure out how to get you to respect him." That was something Booth hadn't considered and made sudden sense in the context of the apparent crush Zack had on Seeley. "Booth? Booth? Are you there, Booth?"

"Yeah. I'm here. I'm going to call Bones. Maybe she's see him…or something."

"Okay. I'm sure he's fine." Booth collapsed back on the couch.

"I want to be sure." He clicked the phone closed and started to dial Brennan when his front door opened and in walked Zack.

"Oh. Hello, Agent Booth. I was hoping to return before you got back from work." Zack closed and locked the door behind him.

"Zack? Where were you and when did you get keys to my apartment?"

"I borrowed your spare set. Ms. Julian wanted my opinion on something."

"What?"

"A case."

"Which case?"

"I can't tell you."

"Who are you working with?"

"Special Agent Charles Marsters." Booth had worked with Marsters before. He could easily double check Zack's story. Good.

"Marsters is a good agent…a little flakey and goofy but good."

"He's very patient. He doesn't do anything that could distract me from examining remains."

"Was that a dig at me?" Booth stood. Zack shook his head slowly and had 'confused!' written all over his face.

"No. It was an observation of Agent Marsters. How would you construed a 'dig' at you from an observation about another federal agent?" Zack wanted to know. It was a good question. Was Booth jealous?

Nah.

Nope.

No way.

Not his style.

Nope. No jealousy here. Booth was a good Catholic.

"I….you're one of my squints. I don't necessarily like to share."

"I'm not a possession." Zack went into the kitchen. Booth silently cursed at himself and followed the young scientist into the other room.

"I know that, Zack. What are you doing?"

"Cooking dinner."

"Cooking dinner?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"I'm hungry. Aren't you?" Now that Booth thought about it…

"Yeah."

"Pasta okay? You don't have much in your pantry."

"Pasta's fine, Zack." Booth leaned against the door jam and watched the scientist cook spaghetti, the bachelor's Raman. "Aren't you going to ask how the case is going?" he asked after awhile when the silence finally got to him.

"No."

"Why?"

"It's not allowed."

"We found Anne and Olivia's birthmother. Sarah Seville." Zack didn't react at all.

"She went to live with her second cousin up in Michigan to have the girls and give them away in adoption."

"That is a part of the case that doesn't concern me. I don't want to know. I don't want to have to lie on the stand when I say I don't know anything."

"Do you want to know who her second cousin was?"

"Not really. I'm not Hodgins. I don't want to destroy the case." Booth ignored Zack's frustrated tone and plowed on with his yarn.

"Rosie Addy. Wife to Anthony Addy and mother to Tony Addy." Zack froze as he was stirring the pasta sauce. "She's your grandmother." Booth watched as Zack's shoulders heaved up and down as the squint's breath quickened. "I need to talk to her, Zack."

"She's dead."

"What about your grandfather? Anthony."

"He's still in Michigan."

"I'm going to have to contact him. Ask him about Sarah and the twins' adoptions." Zack turned around with wide eyes and a tomato-sauced, wooden spoon . "What?"

"I'll give you the number."

"Thank you."

"Anything to help."

"Why do you look like you're about to bolt?"

"Don't tell him that you know me. And pass the message along to Dr. Brennan as well." Zack said suddenly.

"Why?" Zack turned back to the pasta. "Zack. Why don't you want your grandfather to know that we know each other?" Zack did his best to ignore the agent. Booth took half a stride into the kitchen and whirled Zack around to face him. Zack wouldn't look at him. He stared into the distance over Booth's left shoulder like the grip on his upper arms didn't hurt or bruise him. When he finally spoke it was with an empty voice devoid of cadence or any hint of emotion. It was if he really was a robot and someone had commanded him to talk so he did.

"He and my family know I'm bisexual however he's the only one that won't speak to me or about me. He pretends that I don't exist. He'll shut down on you if you mention me. It would be better for your case if you don't mention me to him." Booth let go of the squint and Zack went back to cooking. Booth started to say something but decided against it. He backed out of the kitchen, sort of mumbled that he was going to take a walk before dinner and bolted from the apartment.

* * *

**_Author After Tal_**k: So I'm like a dog with a rawhide chew with this. You lot need a collective nickname. Any suggestions?

Also I would like to share some numbers with you guys

56,392; 26; 61; 13,152; 1; 34; 55; 24

As in

56,392 words, 26 (now 27) chapters; 61 reviews; 13,152 hits; 1 C2; 34 favs; 55 story alerts; and 24 countries, some of which I've never heard of...like Qatar

These are the most current stats of "The Face with Two Skeletons". Needless to say (although I'm saying it anyway), I'm humbled by those numbers. I'm also considering a post-Gormogon sequel to this story....what do you guys think? I mean...well, I mean to say think on it and tell me once we hit that last chapter. I don't even have a plot for a sequel nor do I know what would go into it but I have this scene with Booth and Zack that won't leave me alone. But whatever. Tell me what you think on the sequel, your nickname, and the story in as so far. Yeah. Do that

Tropicwhale


	28. Chapter 28

"**_The Face with Two Skeletons_**"

**_By_**: Tropicwhale

_**Disclaimer**_: Not Mine I Promise NMIP

**_Author Talk_**: Okay so started classes and am in tech week for "King and I". I've learned to change my clothes while driving, live without food or sleep and do homework in the dark of the catwalks. Be glad I'm updating at all and I'm sorry there's no smut in this chapter. There's random smut in "Sometime Around Midnight" if you really need it. But this chapter is all plot. (I'm SORRY!) (PS: this was written a month ago, I'm now getting ready to go into tech for the play I'm acting in "A Better Man", the rest of it's true though :) sleep, I wish, forgoing in order to show you all that I'm alive and writing, appreciate and don't yell, my psyche is rather fragile at the moment)

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-Eight**

Zack had a morning free. The night before Booth had returned from his walk and they ate spaghetti in silence. After dinner Zack automatically did the dishes and Booth took a shower then disappeared into his room. Zack made his bed on a couch and went to sleep.

In the morning Zack woke up to the sound of the front door closing. He took a shower and made himself breakfast. He then called Agent Marsters to check on whether or not the federal coroner was finished the autopsy of the body. Marsters told him that it would be transferred to the Jeffersonian that afternoon. Zack thanked Special Agent Charles Marsters and hung up. A morning of doing nothing did not appeal to Zack so he looked on the internet and found a symposium on burning plasma diagnostics. It sounded interesting so Zack looked up bus routes from Booth's neighborhood to the convention center. The next bus would pass by in ten minutes so Zack grabbed his wallet and Booth's extra keys. He locked the door on his way out and raced to the bus stop. It was good to get out of the apartment. Ever since Anne's body was found Zack's orderly life was…torn to shreds….like a piece of sailcloth on an old wooden tall ship in a hurricane. Although, with all this turmoil in his life, it appeared that Zack's skills at metaphor were improving.

As Zack rode on the bus to the symposium he considered all the good that had come out of the bad situation he currently found himself in. He was working a murder case as the primary "squint" or, at least, without the aide and guidance of Dr. Brennan and the others. Dr. Goodman once told him he had a first rate mind and that it shouldn't be wasted playing assistant for the rest of his life. Experimenting meant that he needed to try multiple times to find a solution. Obviously, identifying bodies of mass slaughter victims in Iraq while bombs went off all around him was not an effective use of his talents. It wasn't that he didn't take issue with being given orders, at least orders that were rational and logical. Dr. Brennan and Dr. Saroyan gave logical orders and had rational expectations of Zack. The several squads he was cycled through seemed to take issue with Zack and, out of some irrational reasoning, made demands of Zack that he couldn't possibly attend to…like handling a gun. Zack knew exactly what guns did to people. He knew that it was similar guns that caused the deaths of the remains that he was pulling out of mass graves and identifying. He was there in a private sector. He shouldn't have to be able to handle a gun. Zack hadn't wanted to kill anyone or even be placed in a situation where that was a possibility. Zack wasn't a murderer. Labs were safer. In a lab was where Zack belonged.

Zack took a deep breath. This was an opportunity to make Dr. Brennan and Booth proud of him. With Zack's help Agent Marsters would be able to discover the identity of the murder victim and the murderer and bring about justice. It was a good opportunity. And there was also the matter of having had sexual-having s-doing-Zack's mind stuttered when he thought about the activity he and Booth had become involved two weeks ago. The fact he and Booth engaged with each other physically metagrobolized Zack's mind. He knew that it would never happen again but to give up on something so completely and then receive exactly that. Maybe there was a God and maybe He did have a plan that Zack would have a part in. Maybe there was such a thing as getting exactly what you wanted. Either that or it was a nice, unexpected fluke in the data. Zack got off the bus and paid for his ticket to the symposium.

It was interesting. Burning plasma, in theory, was cleaner than nuclear fuel and had the potential to completely eliminate the use of fossil fuels almost completely. Diagnostics of burning plasma would give insight on how to measure energy output. It was a step in the direction of what was colloquially known as cold fusion which, of course, was the ultimate goal in replacing finite resources like fossil fuels with cleaner, more efficient technology. Zack sat more or less in the back few seat of the current lecture and took notes in a spiral notepad he had bought from the Rite Aid across the street from the convention center. A man slipped into the seat next to him and gave him a tight closed mouth smile. Zack nodded back and returned his attention to the professor of applied physics on stage.

Apparently, there were new techniques being developed in the fields of lost and confined alpha particles, tile erosion, and tritium inventory and retention; all of which was very excited and any of which could lead to a sudden advancement in not only the application of burning plasma but also in how we understood the physical world. "Fascinating." Zack glanced over at his rowmate.

"Yes." Zack turned back to his notes.

"It'ss a sshame that none of thiss will ever come to fruitation." The man had a slight lisp. Zack looked up, confused.

"How so?" The m an gave another tight-lipped smile

"The world'ss governmentss would use any advancementss from this research to create weaponss and not any technology that would benefit ssociety."

"History has shown that wars create opportunities to advance society and to wean out the population." It was that sort of talk that the first squad Zack was stationed with that had him quickly transferred and the next CO made sure Zack understood that talking about weaning out populations in front of men and women ready to defend each other and him was disrespectful and cruel. Zack had promised not to mention it in front of soldiers again.

"Of course, ssacrificess are alwayss made to advance culturess. It iss more of a matter of when ssacrifice iss necessary and when it isn't…most people don't know the difference." Zack smiled. Here was a rational man. Zack didn't meet many rational people. Zack turned his attention back to the speaker.

After the speaker finished there was a short break to set up the projector for the next speaker and to allow the audience to stand and stretch and discuss the ideas presented by the professor. Zack stood and walked back out into the lobby. The man followed him out and disappeared into the crowd. Zack walked out and over to the Starbucks on the corner. He ordered a decaf coffee and biscotti. As he exited the coffee shop he saw the man who sat next to him during the lecture. The man nodded and Zack walked over to him. "Hello"

"Hello." The man gave another tight-lipped smile. "I recognize you now."

"Am I recognizable?"

"I was reading about Dr. Brennan's team in the paperss last year. You were described asss robotic but wildly intelligent."

"Yes. I remember."

"I do not think anyone that iss wildly intelligent could be robotic."

"No. It's true. I have trouble reacting as normal person might to most situations. I'm hyper-rational. It is sometimes more of a hindrance than an endowment."

"Only if you are placed in ssituationss that do not make use of your intellect which iss a hinderance to the rest of the world…not to you. I think you are one who is greatly unappreciated in his life."

"I never thought of it as being unappreciated."

"You are." Zack looked at the man. "Of course…if you worked for ssomeone like me….you would change the world….saave ssociety from that which would destroy it."

"How?"

"By ssacrifice." Zack's mind kicked into overdrive.

"You're Gormogon." The man smiled a toothless grin.

"Gormogon? How quaint. Dr. Hodginss made the connection, I'm ssure. I am the Master…and I have found myself in need of an apprentice. The Apprentice before you…he wass unworthy of the mission….and I knew from reading that article and seeing you in The Vault. How meticulouss…how focussed…you would do more good-"

"How did you see me in the Vault?" Zack wanted to know. Gormogon smiled.

"If you are truly asss intelligent asss you are ssuppose to be then you'll figure it out. I ssee everything in the Vault. I know everything. I know you."

"It is impossible to know everything. You kill people and eat them ritualistically. And you tried to kill Dr. Brennan and Agent Booth. I should call them and have you arrested."

"You haven't because you know that if you try I'll kill you…I also happen to know you left your cell phone at Agent Booth'ss apartment. Besidess, I would not have approached you had I not known you would have been at least slightly receptive to my way of thinking."

"I'm not."

"You're a rational man. You know that ssecret ssocietiess penetrate every level of our culture and how can the many thrive with the few controlling every known advancement for their own gain? You, yourself, have felt the pressure of having your thought processesss and actions dictated to you instead of choosing for yourself the right and rational course of action. What about Bradley Oscarmann? Was his death not a result of unnatural and rooted bigotry? His own father is ssubjugated to the forcess that compel society. It their biasss that killed your friend and lover…not hiss father'ss. Why wouldn't you want to relieve any of that hegemony?"

"How do you know about Bradley?"

"I know also about James Zerbrowski as well. Hiss wife and her ssister. How ssmall our world really iss, Zaddy. Why wouldn't you want to ssave them?"

"Did you kill Anne and Mrs. Oscarmann?"

"Do you wish I did?"

"Why?"

"You deserve to be free, my Apprentice. Free to love whomever you love and to serve a higher purpose…to be altruistic in the truest sense. But you don't have to answer now….after all, you have a murder victim to identify and worth to prove. I wouldn't want to make you late and missed. I'll give you…two weekss? A fortnight to decide if you want to be free to sserve ssociety on your own or be a sslave to the greed of otherss for the rest of your life; for a man of your intelligence that is time and a half to make a informed decision." With that the Master disappeared into the crowd leaving Zack with a lot to think about.

* * *

**_Author's After Talk_**: I wanted to see this scene in the real show...so I wrote it here to serve my purposes and to give you a timeline within the series when this takes place. I feel I have to explain this to all of you or some of you will yell at me...and that, I just can't take at the moment. More incoming.

Tropic


	29. Chapter 29

"**_The Face with Two Skeletons_**"

**_By_**: Tropicwhale

**_Disclaimer_**: Not Mine I Promise NMIP

**_Author Talk_**: Hello my cashews….you're the cashew gallery and because I rearranged some of my chapters you get two updates for the price of one. By the way. Am writing yet another sex scene for the end of this story but that's before the party and epilogue. So, in total. 55 chapters this story will be. I know I'm updating slower but I've a life, as I'm sure all of you do and it picks up in the fall/winter months and I want to give you quality. I've a new puppy…My dad wants to name it Lucky Wag after our boat, my mother wants to name it Pouncer, I want to name it Bandit. My name is the right name for this dog of course. I've work, theatre productions, school and lines to memorize plus homework. Sleeping, eating. What are these things?

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-Nine**

After the symposium, Zack was working in a secondary lab on the partial decomposed corpse that Ms. Julian requested he investigate. The particulates expert was FBI as was the coroner and they had gleened all they could from the body before it had been sent to Zack. Of course, he had rather the corpse been sent directly to the Jeffersonian and the coroner and any other experts be brought to the lab or Zack been allowed to work at the federal labs. Moving the remains too often compromised them. Dr. Brennan taught Zack that. It was important that remains not be compromised. Compromise was unacceptable. Zack carefully laid down the hand magnifying glass and stepped away from the remains. He was incoherent. He was rarely incoherent and what was worst was he having issue focusing on work. Zack made a sound of frustration and backed into a wall. He had a headache. It then occurred to him that he had a headache because of the fact that he hit his head against the wall as he leaned against it. "Ow." he rubbed the bump on his head and Dr. Saroyan walked in.

"Zack? Are you okay?"

"Yes, Dr. Saroyan." Zack straightened. Cam looked around and spotted the remains.

"Is this the victim you're investigating?"

"Yes."

"Nervous working your own case?"

"No." Zack was confused. "Should I be?" Dr. Saroyan shook her head and pushed her lips out.

"I should have known better to ask."

"Why?"

"You're not a nervous person which is good…in our job."

"I guess." Zack turned back to the corpse. It blurred at the edges. He rubbed his eyes.

"Are you okay, Zack?"

"I'm….my eyes hurt. Agent Booth's couch isn't very comfortable."

"No. It isn't." Cam looked at Zack with something that Zack sort of identified as compassion. "Zack….are you okay?"

"Define 'okay'."

"Okay…okay means…"

"No. I know what okay means but what would it mean if I was okay?"

"Oh." Cam took a moment to think. "Are you feeling well? You're not sick or upset or anything? You seemed distracted." Zack looked over at Cam. "Zack? Do you want to talk about it?"

"No."

"Zack…these last few weeks have been very difficult for you. No one would expect you to be able to operate at-at maximum efficiency after being dumped, accused of a murder, and nearly blown up. I know I couldn't. You're only human." Zack looked at Cam. Here was an opportunity to tell her about Gormogon. Then Cam would tell Booth and Booth would arrest Gormogon and….yell at Zack for not telling him. Possibly shoot Zack for not telling him. Zack didn't want to be shot. Also, the Master said that he would kill Zack if he told anyone. Zack would rather not be shot or killed. Of course, if he helped the Master then Zack would eventually be the Master and help people by killing off individuals that would cause more harm to society and the world than good. If Cam knew she would be proud of Zack. But she wasn't very rational. She might not understand. Zack wasn't sure any of his friends would understand. They weren't very open to him with his relationship with Zerbrowski so why would any of them understand Zack being scouted out by the Master? "I'm not very good at offering comfort, Zack, throw me a bone here."

"I've had sex with Booth." Cam blinked, opened her mouth and blinked again.

"What?"

"Two weeks ago…when I had my casts still on and the first night he let me sleep over at his apartment. We…engaged in a physical-"

"You don't need to paint me a picture, Zack. I can fill in the blanks just fine. Is this what has had you all out of sorts lately?"

"Partly. I'd rather not explain everything."

"I…I understand. I wouldn't…" She looked really startled.

"There's more."

"What? You know who Gormogon is?" When startled or upset Dr. Saroyan reacts with sarcasm, Zack knew this. "Sorry. Don't answer that. I don't think I could handle it right now if you did." She took a breath. "Alright. I can take it."

"I've had a crush on Booth for a very long time so….becoming physical with him just that once in a spur of a moment….it….he was suppose to be completely heterosexual."

"You didn't expect it." Cam smiled.

"I'm starting to think that there is a God." Dr. Cam Saroyan laughed out loud.

"Sorry." She giggled. "Just coming from you….It was funny."

"I have been known to be amusing." Zack deadpanned. "On occasion." Cam laughed.

"Alright, funny man. What's up with this guy?"

"Shot four times with three different weapons. This is the killing shot here." Zack pointed to the hole dead center in the chest. "However, he was shot with two separate weapons before he died…here and here." Zack pointed at the two wounds in the stomach. And shot once after he died here." A bullet wound through the cheek.

"Ouch. Why would anyone shoot a man so much?"

"I don't know. I don't do motive, just hard facts. I need to debridle the bones in order to reconstruct the skull and then ask Angela to do a reconstruct for me….if that's alright with you?"

"By all means, borrow Angela. No problem with me." Zack nodded. "Alright, I gotta be unprofessional and ask….isn't Seeley a good kisser?" Zack grinned.

"Yes. My knees melted."

"I know! Did he do that thing with his tongue? Because that-oh god, I miss having sex with Seeley Booth."

"I don't know what thing you're talking about."

"When he…oh, nevermind."

"What?" Cam flushed. "Cam?"

"When he goes down on a girl he does this thing with his tongue…but he wouldn't be able to do that with you…because you're a boy. Completely different skill set."

"Oh…" Zack looked at the body. "I think I'll use maggots."

"What? Oh. Right. The remains. Got it. Conversational left turn there, Zack-aroni." Zack looked at Cam and she looked at him and they both laughed. Zack recovered first because his burst of laughter was mostly relief and therefor short-lived. "This is soo inappropriate." Cam giggled. Zack nodded, snorted, and then forced his face into a blank calm look. He had to bite his lips to keep it but he did keep it. He focused on the remains. "Besides…" she looked at Zack. Zack looked up, with a blank but curious face. "You know, if you wanted to seduce Booth back into the sack I could coach you how to get under his skin." Zack's eyes widened in alarm.

"Dr. Saroyan, that is dishonest…besides, Agent Booth seems to be angrier and angrier by the day…it's clear that he regrets….I would not try to….I don't want to get shot." Cam smile a little.

"Oh Zack. He wouldn't shoot you."

"He shot that ice cream truck." Cam gave him a hug.

"Oh, Zack…" Zack blinked with his nose smushed against Cam's breasts.

"Dr. Saroyan? This is inappropriate."

"What? Oh!" she lets him up. "Sorry, Zack. You bring out my deeply buried maternal instinct for some reason."

"I think you would be a good mother." Cam smiled a little ruefully.

"Thanks, Zack, but I doubt it will ever happen."

"If I can have sex with Booth then you can become a mother." Cam laughed out loud.

"I guess that it is possible."

"Many things are possible….just improbable." Cam grinned.

"You know…the idea of you sleeping with Booth is actually growing on me." Zack took a step away from her.

"What?"

"I think I'm going to help you. I'm going to find out why he's so angry…not that he isn't always angry at something but still…I'm going to figure it out and then….I'm going to help you seduce him."

"That doesn't sound like a very good idea."

"Would you like a second chance with him? Forget, for a moment, that it's possible. Would you like to have sex with Booth again?"

"Yes" Zack's eyes had a faraway, hopeful look to them.

"Well, you'll need help to land that fish a second time, puppy."

"Huh?" Zack looked at Cam, confused.

"Sorry, metaphor and my great aunt just took over my body." Zack gave her weird look.

"She called everyone 'puppy'." Zack nodded.

"I see." Even though he didn't.

* * *

_**Author Talk**_: Zack has an accomplice. Zack has an accomplice. hehehehe. Poor Booth. He will fall.

Tropic


	30. Chapter 30

"The Face with Two Skeletons"

by: Tropicwhale

Disclaimer: Whoa. Not mine….just fucking with them.

Author Talk: I've been writing, painting, acting, working, technician-ing, doing the school thing, trying to keep up with homework that requires lab time and partners….I know I've been bad fanfic writer but you still love the story, right? Besides, I heart Cam now. I've actually rewritten one of the sub-plots because of her reaction that I sooo didn't plan…enjoy! PS: I haven't updated in so long due to the fact my computer went into a coma and took the chapters with it.

Chapter Thirty (holy effing cow, longest fic I've ever written)

Hodgins was not a calm man. He was paranoid, super intelligent, loyal, arrogant, and just a little bit wiffy from working in the lab for days on end. All of which was fine. Everyone else was a bit wiffy, super intelligent, and loyal while also coming to accept Hodgin's nature of being arrogantly paranoid as quid pro quo. So with all that was going on with Zack…could anyone really blame Hodgins for sticking in his nose where it didn't belong?

Yes, he was suspicious of why Booth had a sudden, unexplainable interest in Zack's age and apparently diverse social life. But then, Hodgins found himself suspicious of Zack's apparent lying and strangely diverse social life. Hodgins knew why he wanted to know more about the man who, until very recently, had been staying in the apartment above Hodgin's garage. Zack was his best friend. Why wouldn't he want to learn more about the kid but Booth…Hodgins was suspicious.

So, Hodgins did the thing that he and the rest of the squint squad did best. He investigated. He collected empirical evidence for the recent mystery that had so engaged all of their lives that was Zack. He started following Booth around with his eyes in the lab, stalked him in the Diner, set up hidden cameras in Booth's office. All of which was fine until Booth caught him trying to install one of the little bugs in Booth's car. Hodgins could only grin when he found himself up against Booth's car with a very angry, gun-wielding federal agent in his face. "WHAT the hell are you doing, Hodgins?"

"Investigating?" Jack tried and was shaken for his troubles. "Okay, not good enough." Quick! Let's play 'Outthink the fed'. "I don't trust you."

"You don't trust anyone."

"Oo, Touché."

"Hodgins." Whoa, angry Booth. Hm, he could see why Zack was a little intimidated by this guy. Of course, Hodgins' reaction to an angry federal officer was to make matters worse and not cower in fear. He's quirky that way.

"I'm concerned for Zack, is all."

"And putting a video camera in my car helps that concern how?"

"Well, if I planned for you to catch me and test your control over yourself when it comes down to things like this." Booth's expression got darker and darker. "And you're not buying that either. Okay. I'm being paranoid and nosy?"

"Now that I'd buy."

"Of course you would." It was after all the truth. There was a silence in which Booth just glared and held Hodgins to the side of the SUV. "So….Take it out?"

"Yeah." Booth let go of him with an extra push against the truck. Typical jock. Hodgins straightened his jacket and crinked his neck to the side to prove that he just didn't do the cower thing; not for Cam, Brennan, or Booth….maybe for Ange', if there was leather involved... "Today, Hodgins." Hodgins snorted and went to remove the camera. "I'm not even going to go into how illegal that is on soo many levels." Hodgins rolled his eyes when he was sure Booth couldn't see his face. "And don't roll your eyes at me." Grr. Hodgins yanked the last of the wiring out from under the dash and stood. "I don't even want to know how you got into my car to begin with!" Was Booth still on this? The federal agent grabbed Hodgin's collar and slammed the car door shut then dragged the squint into the Royal Diner. Booth slammed the furry, little man into their usual booth and sat down across from him. "And don't think I haven't noticed you stalking me for the past few days. I've had enough. What the hell, Hodgins?"

"I told you. I'm being nosy and paranoid."

"You're never paranoid and nosy without a reason behind it. It has to be pretty bad for you to act on your paranoia." Hodgins briefly wondered when he got sooo predicable. "So let's hear it." Booth sat back and crossed his arms, looking for all the world like he could wait out the squint until the truth came out. Hodgins suddenly understood why Booth was on homicide detail for the FBI. God knew it wasn't for his analytical rationale. Hodgins shifted and settled into his seat as a waitress brought them their usuals. Booth thanked her and turned back to Hodgins.

"I'm suspicious of your sudden interest and concern for Zack, okay?" Booth raised his eyebrows but otherwise didn't react. "It's fishy, okay? You find out he plays basketball and all of the sudden you're suddenly his best friend?"

"Are you jealous?"

"What?" Hodgins was weirded out that Booth would even ask that. "No. I'm…just….Zack's had it rough, okay? I'm just being a little overprotective." Booth seemed to relax. It appeared they both were, god forbid, _feeling_ the same way about one Dr. Addy.

"Yay, no kidding." Booth shifted. "Between Zerbrowski and this whole Bradley Oscarmann thing coming back to haunt him-"

"Having his home blown up."

"Getting sidelined from the team and squint squad."

"His basketball team sidelined him?"

"Because of his injuries during the explosion."

"Oh." Hodgins laughed. "That kid gets blown up a lot."

"Blame Hart Hanson."

"Who?"

"I don't know. I just made the name up." Hodgins laughed and Booth smiled.

"But, seriously. Zack can't seem to catch a break. Do you know why he doesn't drive anymore? He hit a cyclist when he came to DC after the whole Oscarmann thing." Booth's eyebrows descended in confusion. "Keg and Robbie" Hodgins refused to admit to the bitchy tone in his voice. He was Zack's friend, not his lover. He had no right to be jealous. "pulled him out of the wreak. What?" Booth's face looked really confused and more than a little angry.

"Zack told you that?"

"Yeah. Why? Jealous?" Hodgins' tone was smug. Definitely smug. And he was okay with that.

"No. I knew he was in the crash." Hodgins' smugness evaporated into annoyance. "Robbie told me that he was the one on the bicycle, though." Hodgins didn't see the significance. "He lied to you." Hodgins blinked then got it.

"HEY!" That little punk.

"He lies a lot." Booth looked almost sad at having to voice that revelation. Hodgins understood. There was an innocence to Zack that sometimes Hodgins sort of- "There is a sort of logic to it though." Hodgins looked at Booth. The federal agent had a faraway look on his face. It surprised Hodgins. Booth wasn't the brains of the operation, Brennan and the others were.

"How so?"

"He lies when he feels he needs to protect himself. When you think about it…it makes sense." Booth focused on Hodgins and grinned. "I may not be book smart but I know people and Zack's actions have a certain….people logic to it."

"It does?" Obviously, Booth was a moron. At least in Hodgins' opinion.

"You said it yourself…Zack's been through a lot and he doesn't want people to judge him by it so he moves, acts like emotions don't matter…" Booth made a 'come on' hand motion until Hodgins caught up.

"And lies to hide any weaknesses he thinks he has. I get it." Booth nods. "I guess he doesn't trust us."

"He doesn't trust himself." Booth shrugged and looked down at his food. "Which, when you think about it…"

"It's worst then not trusting others." Hodgins finished. "I…I need to get back to the lab. See ya, Booth." Hodgins stood and left Booth with the check. No wonder the guy was so rich. The cheapskate.

"See ya, Jack." Booth took a sip of his coffee before Cam slide into the seat across from him with a truly dastardly grin on her face.

"You and Hodgins were having a deep discussion."

"Hey Cam. Where did you come from?"

"Over there. Not the point." Booth grinned his flirty grin.

"What's the point?"

"Oh. Nothing." Cam grinned some more and took a sip of Hodgins' coffee. "Eugh, what is this?"

"Decaf. Hodgins' drink."

"Blech." She signaled the waitress and traded Hodgins' food for a cup of good, hot, caffeinated, strong coffee. Camille liked her coffee like she liked her men. Booth just added more cream to his quickly cooling cup. The waitress refilled his cup when she topped off the new cup for Camille. "It still freaks me out how you can memorize coffees like that." Booth smiled.

"A coffee tells you a lot about the person who drinks it." Cam rolled her eyes.

"So what coffee does Angela drinks?"

"Sugar with French vanilla creamer or a caramel latte. Brennan drinks black with sugar and Ms. Julian drinks it whatever way she can get it…including stealing other people's drinks."

"What about Zack?"

"He doesn't drink coffee. He makes it for everyone else."

"I've seen him drink coffee."

"No, you've seen him drink decaf tea with a lot of milk in it. And only when he's feeling under the weather."

"You've sure have noticed a lot about people that you don't care about."

"Camille, I care about them. They just annoy me."

"Especially Zack?" There was a sly quality to Cam's voice. She was definitely up to something. Booth wasn't sure what it was but she was up to it.

"Less lately but yeah…there's something about him that really gets under my skin."

"But he's so sweet. He's like a puppy except less annoying. It's so hard to stay mad at him." Booth snorted. Cam didn't know how much Zack lied. "Well, maybe not for you. You get angry a lot."

"I do not." That wasn't true. Cam smiled grimly.

"Yeah, it is, Seeley. I care about you enough to tell you the truth. You need to learn how to forgive and let go."

"Cam…"

"Booth. I get it. I love you but…Zack can't help being what he is any more then you can-"

"Hey-!"

"Or I can or Brennan can." Cam placed her hand on Booth's wrist. "Just…" she looks like she is about to say something then shakes her head. "He's staying with you. Just give him his space and don't go all federal agent on him. He doesn't need that right now." Booth looked at her, hard.

"What do you know?"

"He told me." Booth felt a stab of panic. Cam waited a moment to see if Booth was going crack. He wasn't going to give her the satisfaction. He was in too deep a shock. Oh well. Cam cut him a break. "He told me that you seemed angrier than usual. He didn't tell me why so I'm asking you. What did Zack do? Why are you mad at him this time?" Booth jerked back. Zack thought he was mad at him? Well, in a way he was. Zack was the one that pulled away from Booth after they… "He didn't say but…I think he thinks that you're upset with him because you think he's guilty of the twins' murder." Booth blinked as he digested that then smiled. "What?"

"It's not that at all. He's assuming." Booth had to laugh. Cam looked at him weird. "Assuming is the same as guessing."

"And Zack doesn't guess." Cam smiled at the joke. Booth shook his head. "Talk to him?" Booth exhaled then nodded. "Thank you. That's all I ask."


	31. Chapter 31

"**_The Face with Two Skeletons_**"

**_by_**: Tropicwhale

**_Disclaimer_**: NMIP

**_Author Talk_**: I was sick. Everyone was freaking out because I said that I thought I had fever and thus people kept calling me and txting me and asking if I was feeling better and then asking me to do stuff for them…it ended up making me sicker. So when my phone died, I gave my dog a rawhide chew and left the phone off and got some rest. As a result I got better…go figure. Stupid H1N1 getting people all upset over a common cold…guh. (PS: written before the computer coma and finals happened)

* * *

**_Chapter Thirty-One_**

Booth knew he needed to talk to Zack about stuff. He knew it. He just didn't know how to do it. Zack was…talking to Zack was more complicated than Booth liked his everyday conversation both as a subject as well as a person to talk to. He needed more to go on before that particular conversation happened. So, naturally, because he needed advice about a particularly weird human he went to another weird human that happened to be an expert in human behavior. That's right. He was so desperate that he was going to talk to Dr. Lance Sweets. It took him a day to literally sneak into Sweet's office without anyone noticing which, had Booth actually gave it some real thought, was really bordering a creep factor and was way more suspicious than if he had just walked into the psychologist's office and firmly shut the door. But, alas, Booth wasn't really thinking. This matter with Zack really had affected him more than he consciously realized. Sweets looked up from his work on his computer (aka World of Warcraft with the sound turned off) and smiled. He quickly signed off with a 'RL alert' which was fine because he wasn't really on a quest at the moment and could afford to play catch up later and minimized any window just on the off chance Booth would look at the screen. He really didn't want to be called 'twelve' again, not when he was still trying to earn the federal agent's trust and respect. "Yes, Agent Booth?" then cursed himself for sounding too eager. He cleared his throat when Booth didn't seem to notice in favor of shutting the door and locking it. "Yes, Agent Booth?" Lance tried again, this time in a much more masculine tone that was concerned and yet professional (he hoped).

"Can I talk to you about something semi-personal?"

"How personal?" Lance folded his arms on his desk. No matter how many times he did that he still felt like a little kid playing make-believe with his father's too large suit and home office. It made Lance uncomfortable…even with his qualifications.

"I've a friend."

"Agent Booth…can I call you Seeley?

"No." Came the short, abrupt answer.

"For the purpose of this being a truth zone I'm going to ask you to drop the euphemisms-" Sweets plowed on.

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm sorry?"

"This isn't about me."

"Huh?"

"This _is_ about my friend. He lied to me about something…." Booth trailed off, choosing to glare out the window as he after he collapsed in the visitor chair. Lance's training kicked in. Gimmicks aside, he really was a good psychologist.

"And that upsets you?" He prompted

"I thought-why would someone lie about-" Booth looked at Sweets. "A friend of my friend told me that my friend-" Booth broke off frustrated with the language.

"Let's call him Percy." Lance offered. Booth nodded once

"That Percy was in a car accident. A bad one."

"Oh dear."

"It was awhile ago. He's fine now. Can play basketball and everything."

"Okay."

"But, actually it was…Percy's teammate…he had said that Percy was riding his bike and was slammed by an SUV."

"Ouch." Lance winced in sympathy.

"But Percy told another friend who later told me…that Percy had said he was the one who was driving."

"Oh." Lance thought that was very interesting.

"See but Percy's friend was a first responder to the crash. It's sort of how they became friends."

"You don't know who to believe?"

"That's not all."

"Oh?" Lance scooted on his chair.

"Percy…lied to me about his age."

"Is Percy a woman?"

"No. Definitely not. He said that he was older than he is." Lance saw the problem and took a deep breath.

"You're concerned about what else Percy has lied about? And if you can trust him?" Booth sighed sadly.

"Yeah. It's sad, though. I kinda can see why he lied."

"Oh?"

"Z-Percy…he doesn't do stuff without reason. Not while I've known him."

"Reasonable guy?"

"Yeah. Very much reasonable…if a little irritating sometimes." Lance smiled.

"The best of friends can get on your nerves sometimes. We've let them in and around our defenses…it makes us want to strangle them sometimes but we still care about them."

"Yeah. I guess." And Booth was back to glaring morosely out the window.

"You wonder if it's all a lie?"

"Yeah." And Lance thought he heard a hint of heartbreak in Booth's voice. It had to be a big deal to the federal officer for Booth to let down his guard, no matter how unconsciously, around _Sweets_.

"Did you talk to him about it?" Lance asked gently.

"I'm…gearing up to it. I want to find out more before I attempt _that_ conversation." Booth snorted on the word 'that'.

"Tough guy to talk to, huh?"

"You have no idea."

"Doesn't really open up?"

"Nope."

"Misleading when he does?"

"Confusing."

"How so?"

"Like…he's open about stuff no one really wants to hear about to near strangers and then…when people around him actually gives a damn he clams up unless some disaster forces him into speaking….and then, apparently, he lies!" Booth really was quite agitated.

"Then why bother being his friend?"

"Because…" Booth sighed and all that anger was let out in one 'whoosh'. He slumped in his seat looking forlorn and miserable. "Because he's a really sweet guy and loyal and he needs someone watching his back or else he'd get in trouble….not that he's trying to get into trouble…it just sort of happens to him." Lance felt the desire to pat Booth on the shoulder in a show of solidarity and comfort but squiched it due do the fact that Booth would probably break his hand. He was looking for an insight into his friend…not sympathy. Didn't stop Sweets from feeling that sympathy but from acting on it.

"It sounds like he's really defensive about something. Probably afraid that someone's going to hurt him again."

"Again?"

"Yeah." Lance couldn't keep that sympathetic tone out of that word. Darnit! "I guarantee you that something happened to him that shook his faith in the goodness of humanity when dealing with him. It doesn't mean he's a bad person. I bet his version of the car accident changes every time he tells it because, hey, he probably doesn't really remember all that well to begin with if it was that bad and he doesn't want people feeling sorry for him. He makes himself to be the 'bad guy'." Lance used finger quotes "So people won't throw a pity party for him. He's a real tough guy."

"So what do I do?"

"Confront him about it. Get as much information as you can about the stuff he's lying to you about, sit him down and don't let him get away with it. Would you let Parker lie to you?"

"No." Booth was indignant about that.

"Then don't let Percy do it. Let him know that he can trust you, that you're not going to run away or abandon him or hurt him or let him get away with lying like that. If he's retreating from the world that badly something is seriously wrong and he probably needs to talk to someone about it or if not talk than to know he's not going to lose you as a friend if he" Lance spread his hands wide "if he's not perfect." Booth sat there for a moment and considered it. It was some of Lance's better advice in the psychologist's own opinion. He didn't push Booth, just let the federal officer sit there for a few moments in silence considering his words and probably planning some action that probably involve cornering his friend somewhere and forcing him to communicate. Lance could tell that Booth was upset about this 'Percy' enough that he was brisling at everything Lance said which Lance took to be a good sign. Booth may be insanely frustrating and intimidating and gruff as all rodeo showdowns but he really did care for the people in his life. Sweets had not read in his files or seen Booth ever putting himself before someone else. He was always willing to sacrifice and go that extra mile for his loved ones.

Huh, now there was an interesting, if not impossible thought. Was Booth in love with his friend? It seemed like it. If not a romantic love then a friend love. If Lance wasn't a) absolutely positive that Booth was straight and b) even more positive that it would earn him a punch in the face he'd ask Booth point-blank about it. But a & b were true so c) Lance kept his mouth shut.

Booth finally shifted, looking away from the window and toward Lance. He nodded and stood. "Thanks" and he was gone as quickly as he had come.

Lance sat for a long time starting at his shut door and empty office. Booth was definitely one of the good guys. Lucky 'Percy', to have the attention of such a great guy. It made Sweets want to befriend Booth even more. To have status by association. Who knows? Maybe some of that selflessness and charisma would wear off on Lance and he'd be the one envied over….

Nah. Never gonna happen. Lance logged back onto WoW.

* * *

**_Author After Tal_**k: Wow….It was both difficult and easy to write from Lance's PoV. Easy once I got the voice right but...see, he's grown up a lot since Zack left but back when he was first introduced when no one liked him, personally I now realize that I didn't like him because he was basically replacing Zack on the team as the 'young guy' which actually was a really good plot/character/storytelling as everyone thought he was Gormogon and really it was Zack. It's a shame that Bones doesn't…it just jumped the shark. Because, really, Gormogon was the best storyline that "Bones" has ever had and I would really like to see that production team try to beat that best but instead they started resting on their laurels lately. It doesn't mean that I don't still watch the show. It's good entertainment but…I'm hungry for more. Anyway, back from that tangent….Sweets was very insecure in his place in the team because, hey, he didn't have one. And, he's stopped now but then he used a lot of gimmicks to establish his credibility which actually made him lose credibility with both Booth and Brennan. It was when he stop trying to rely on gimmicks and actually used his skills did they start to respect him. Also, I think that what happened to Zack effected Sweets too. It sort of made him grow up a little seeing the team suspect him and it turning out to be someone not even he (Sweets) considered capable of murder or any of it. And remember back in season one Zack was the one that was excited by how intelligently Howard Epps was manipulating the Squint Squad. Look back and you'll see that there were actual clues to Zack being the Apprentice. It was very cool. But we all missed them because we were looking at Sweets (who we thought was Gormogon) blame Hodgins. "Look at my Right hand while I'll slap you with the left one." It was great. Also? Lance playing World of Warcraft? Couldn't resist.

Tropic


	32. Chapter 32

**_The Face with Two Skeletons_**

**_By_**: Tropicwhale

**_Disclaimer_**: I've got love and I got rhythm but I don't have the characters in this story to go with them. I've got no money. I've got no diamonds either. But it doesn't stop me from wanting more, more, more. Eh, I've got Zerbrowski. . .anyone want to trade?

**_Author Talk_**: Yeah, if you want a synopsis of my last few months when I wasn't posting check out my author talks in the last two chapters…ooh, happy belated Christmas everyone! I gots me a breadmaker and $50 on iTunes…yeehaw! And HAPPY NEW DECADE!!

* * *

**Chapter Thirty Two**

It had taken three hours to hunt down Robbie's home address. Booth had used almost every resource available to him to do it seeing as he only knew that the man's nickname, that he was in Desert Storm and that he was on the police force. In an area as big as Washington, DC with Richmond and the surrounding counties well within an hour drive…Robbie could have been anywhere. Booth wasn't about to ask Zack because, well, that would make Zack suspicious and thus complete negate Booth's objective.

Luckily, the Copperheads had a website which listed the players' (both past and present) real names and stats. After a quick interlude into Zack's stats and bio (stats=impressive, bio=little to nothing although it did say that he worked with Brennan at the Jeffersonian) Booth wrote down Robbie's real name, Capt. Robert V. Ackart and ran it through the federal database for local law enforcement officers. Sometimes it really rocked to work for the government.

The database panned out and he soon was the proud recipient of Robbie's street address. He GoogleMapped it and was in his car and driving with the printed out directions in twenty minutes. Robbie's house was in Montgomery County, Maryland and fairly nice for a police officer. It was white with blue shutters and front door with an immaculately green lawn and even had a white picket fence. Booth parked on the street and let himself through the white picket gate and up the slate stone walk. He rang the door bell and waited patiently. Somewhere inside the house a small dog barked and a woman's voice shushed it. There was the sound of the locks being undone and a tallish, blondish woman opened the door. Her eyes were blue and she looked like she had been working out with her hair in a messy ponytail and wearing a sweaty pair of sweats. "Can I help you?" Booth decided not to flash his badge. After all this was personal business and really had nothing to do with his current official investigation into Zerbrowski's wife's death.

"Hi, I'm Seeley Booth and I was looking for Robbie?" He asked with his 'look, I'm harmless' smile. Girls really went for that smile. The woman blinked and mopped her brow with her sleeve.

"He's at work…can I ask what this was about?"

"He…" Booth stopped. How to explain Zack? "Do you know Zack?"

"Zack?" There was a question to her voice.

"Uh, you might know him as Zaddy? From the Copperheads?" Recognition bloomed in the woman's face.

"Oh! Yeah, the forward. Kinda quiet. Talks like he's a robot?" She described like it was more for Booth's benefit than her own.

"That's the one. See, I'm friends with Zack and…." Booth blinked again. "I probably shouldn't tell you this but Robbie had told me that he had pulled Zack from a car wreck several years ago-"

"Right, that's how they met. I remember that."

"Yeah and I was wondering if Robbie wouldn't mind giving me more information about it."

"Why?" Booth took a deep breath and knew from looking at her that he looked like a guilty kid with his hand in the cookie jar.

"Zack lied about it. He told a friend of ours who later told me that he was driving the car when Robbie told me that Zack was riding the bicycle. It's not the first time that he's done something like this. Lied about something major in his life to make it look like he's a worse person than he is and, as his friend, I want to confront him about it but…you've met Zack. It isn't going to be easy. I need ammo." The woman looked at him. Glared, really. It then occurred to Booth that this was probably Robbie's wife. The wife of a man that was a police officer, ex-Army, and the Captain of the rowdy Copperheads was bound to be one tough cookie. "But, I've been rude. I'm Seeley, I'm acquainted with Robbie and you are?" Seeley stuck out his hand and the woman raised her eyebrow.

"Vivian Ackart. Robbie's my husband."

"Nice to meet you." Vivian decided to become amused with Booth. Amused was good. He could live with amused. Amused might get him information. Charming worked even better for that. Booth shot for charming and just a little bit cheesy. They shook hands. "So, you said he's at work?" She smiled an amused grin at him and he turned up the wattage on his own grin.

"I did."

"Could you tell me where that is?"

"Do you think I'm an idiot?" Her smile stayed in place, Booth's didn't.

"Huh?"

"I'm the wife of a cop. Don't pull the charming stranger card on me. I'm too smart for it." huh. Darnit. "You're Zaddy's federal agent that was at the Devil's game, right? I thought I recognized you. Come on in. I'll make some iced tea." Double huh. What just happened? Booth experienced a feeling that was akin to being hit in the face with a dead fish. Unexpected and vaguely gross.

Nevertheless, Booth followed Mrs. Ackart into the house and closed the door behind him more than a little bemused. The inside of the house was as nice as the outside. She directed him into the living room and went on into what Booth assumed was the kitchen through a doorway. Booth took his time alone to check out the room he found himself in. Everything scream MIDDLECLASS AMERICA and should have been very impersonal and dead feeling. But it didn't. Booth felt very calm and serene sitting on one of two white couches sitting on top of the white carpet looking at the awesome big screen and grandfather clock in the corner. There was a blue throw blanket over the one arm of the couch and the walls were a peach color. The coffee table matched the entertainment unit and there was a warm brown leather recliner in one corner. Mrs. Ackart walked back in through the door and handed Booth a glass of iced tea. She smiled at his expression. "Robbie and I moved around a lot when he was in the army. We found that the less we had the less we had to pack up and move. It's a moving laziness that traveled with us into civilian life. Robbie should be home in about fifteen minutes if you don't mind waiting." She sat down in the recliner. Booth noticed that she had fixed her ponytail.

"Not at all." Booth smiled. He liked this woman. She was very capable. Capable women were attractive. "So, what do you do, Mrs. Ackart?"

"I'm a prosecutor. And before you ask…no, I wasn't the prosecutor for Zaddy's hit and run case."

"So it was a hit and run?"

"Yep. Witnesses say they saw a young white man fleeing the scene on foot after hitting the bicyclist."

"How do you-?"

"I remember it…both on the news and Robbie talking about it. He took a personal interest in it because the bicyclist had just moved to DC and had no family in the area. Zaddy's a sweet kid. He actually stayed with us while he looked for an apartment. He had lost his when he went into the hospital. Apparently, it was one of the long term hotels? He was staying at one until he could find something more permanent. He moved in with a co-worker…I think?"

"Yeah, Hodgins. What did you mean Zaddy's federal agent?"

"Aren't you dating?"

"Uh, no. I'm not gay."

"Neither is Zaddy. He's bisexual."

"I'm not…"

"Into guys?"

"Exactly."

"Except for Zaddy."

"I-"

"It's okay. Who am I going to tell?"

"I'm not."

"You're trying to convince him not to lie to you…and you don't strike me as the type of man that would willing hang out with someone like Zack unless sex was involved…much less go to these lengths to find out more about him" She stated coldly. Inwardly, Booth flinch. He could see why she was a prosecutor. Was he so obvious? More importantly, was he so shallow?

"That's not true. My best friend is Zack's boss and she's just a bad as Zack is. Worse. She doesn't believe in lying or-"

"Zaddy's insecure. A man like you wouldn't hang around someone who's insecure." Booth was offended by that, and ashamed, so he reacted with anger.

"You don't even know me."

"I've known men like you. I knew Zerbrowski. Robbie told me what had happened between Zaddy and James."

"I'm not like that guy." Booth said. Vivan Ackart just stared at him. The minutes ticked by on the grandfather clock.

"You hurt him" She said and set down her drink on a small side table next to the recliner. She leaned back into the seat so the leather creaked and lower her eyes at Booth. He was reminded of a jungle cat he had seen once when taking Parker to the zoo. It just sat there starting at the people going by, comfortable in the knowledge that it was the predator and not them. She inhaled. "You hurt him and I'll kill you…or find a way to put you in jail for breaking his heart. Whichever comes first." Booth believed her. Zack inspired that fierce loyalty in a lot of people.

At that moment, Robbie choose to walk through the front door with a "Honey, I'm home!" that sounded like he was trying not to laugh as he said it. Vivian rolled her eyes. Robbie walked into the living room "Oh, company." He did a double take at Booth. "Agent Booth…?"

"Agent Booth wants to talk to you about Zaddy, dear." Vivian's voice was bland and Booth could feel her eyes burn a hole into his ear. Robbie looked between his wife and Booth.

"We can use my home office."

"Okay." Booth stood and thanked Vivian for the iced tea and quickly followed Robbie out of the room. Robbie walked down a short hallway and through another door at the back of the house. Booth followed him and Robbie shut the door behind them.

"So what did you say to make my wife that angry at you?" Booth blinked as he sat down on the leather couch against one wall and Robbie sat in the spinning chair at his desk.

"I honestly don't know. I was just asking after Zack and you. I tried to be charming to get her to tell me where you were but she slapped me down real fast for that." Robbie chuckled somewhat fondly.

"Blame Keg, Wineskin and Bailout for that. They've destroyed several of Viv' furniture and then tried to be charming to get out of paying for it. It never worked and it started to bug her after awhile."

"Oh. I was more under the impression that it was my interest in Zack's car accident that had her up in arms against me. She seems convinced that after a five minute conversation that I've had sex with Zack and that would be my only reason for being interested in him."

"She doesn't know about Anne or the other body. I'm sorry about that. We had let Zack stay with us for a week or so when he got out of the hospital but wasn't well enough to be on his own. We…Vivian and I can't have kids. Zack sort of…." Robbie looked out the window.

"Is like a son to her." Booth finished.

"Yeah, kinda to me to…" Robbie looked back at Booth. "which is why I overreacted with Zerbrowski that day at the hospital. I shouldn't have lost my temper like that but Zack doesn't deserve that _shit_. You know?"

"Yeah, I know."

"So what do you want to know about the accident?"

"You don't want to know why?"

"No. It's none of my business. And I've got a pretty good read on you. Better than my wife anyway. I'd like to think that you wouldn't hurt Zack. That you know he's been through a lot and it'll make you think twice before doing something that would break his heart intentionally. So, what do you want to know?"

"Are you sure Zack was the one riding the bicycle?" Robbie smoothed his tie and frowned.

"Yeah. Okay, now I'm curious. Why ask that?" Booth took a deep breath.

"Hodgins…Zack's friend and landlord? Told me that Zack had said that _he_ was the one driving and that the charges were dropped because the other guy never showed up in court."

"That's…partly true. It's considered an unsolved case. We never found the driver."

"There's more. Zack lied to me about his age. He said that he was older than he was."

"Why would he do that?"

"To protect himself. Make it seem like he doesn't need people's help when he does." Robbie closed his eyes.

"Oh Zack." Robbie looked genuinely upset at that and closed his eyes. Booth felt like he was telling the guy that his son was dead.

"I'm going to try and talk to Zack and convince him that he doesn't need to lie like that. That he can trust….people. But I need ammo. I need to know the truth so I can corner him with the facts." Robbie opened his eyes and looked at Booth.

"Here" He turned in his chair and riffled through some files until he held up a particular one. "I'm going to want it back but it's the police report for Zack's accident. I got to warn you though. It's graphic and nasty. I don't like looking at it cuz I remember Zack in that condition but, you need to know."

"Thanks." Booth stood and accepted the file.

"Take care of him?"

"Yeah."

"Oh. One more thing. Zerbrowski can help as well."

"What?"

"Zerbrowski's an selfish ass but he's one of the best lawyers I know…and he was involved in the case."

"How?"

"Public defense lawyer. His client was a no-show but he still has all the facts about what went down when Zack was still in the hospital."

"Like the trial." Robbie nodded.

"Thanks." Booth said again because he didn't know what else to say and left. Vivian glared at him on the way out of the house but he waved to her anyway.

Booth drove to Zerbrowski's house straight from there. He wanted to be able to talk with Zack no later than tonight. Booth wasn't about to let Zack think that he was better off alone for a second longer than he was able. He knocked on the door. Zerbrowski opened it looking like he had been through a car wash and then crushed by an eighteen wheeler and he was holding a bottle of cheap liquor. He slammed the door in Booth's face.

Booth spent the next fifteen minutes pounding on the door nonstop. Eventually, Zerbrowski opened it and let Booth into the house. Booth walked through the threshold and Zerbrowski shut the door behind him. "What do you want?" the lawyer said in a dead voice. A part of Booth felt really bad for the guy. It couldn't have been an easy few weeks for him. It turned out that Anne was cheating on him with a masseuse at her spa. Zerbrowski's life had a lot of skeletons in his closet and now they were all out in public eye. However, Booth's sympathy was squished effectively with Zerbrowski's next words "What? Did Zack die? Are you trying to pin his murder on me now, too?" And then in an undertone that Booth caught anyway. "Hope he did, the little shit." Booth really, really wanted to shoot the guy. Bah, wasn't worth the bullet.

"You're part right. How old is Zack?"

"Twenty-nine."

"Wrong. Looked up his birth certificate. He's twenty-seven." Zerbrowski looked at Booth through narrowed, bloodshot eyes.

"Huh?"

"He also has been claiming that he was the one driving the SUV and not the bicycle." Zerbrowski blinked.

"That's not true."

"Yeah. I know. Look, I-"

"Why would he lie about that? Lie about us…yeah, sure. It would hurt me to be forced into the public eye like that but…that makes him seem like a bad guy….Zack's a lot of things. An asshole isn't among them."

"No, that's your job." Booth said coldly. Zerbrowski nodded his head absently, sadly. He looked down at the bottle in his hands.

"I am a jerk." He said distinctly, morosely…then burst out into tears. Booth's thought on that was

"Oh geez."

"I'm such a bad boyfriend." He sobbed. "Bad husband too. My wife was running round with a massage therapist, for christssake, and my boyfriend had a crush on a Fed. It's not fair. What did I do?" He took a swig at the bottle and cried a little more.

"Can you tell me about the day of Zack's trial?"

"Yeah. Assign to the other guy. Didn't really know about Zack and his connection to the Coppers' until I saw Robbie and Keg in court. My guy was supposedly a no show so the family was going after the car rental agency. They settle out of court before Zack got out of the hospital."

"Did they ever hunt down the guy you were suppose to represent?"

"Nope!" Zerbrowski giggled a little. "False name. False identity. No real defining or memorable characteristics. Kinda assumed that whoever it was was after Zack personal."

"Why assumed?"

"I dunno." Zerbrowski's bloodshot eyes shittered off to the side. "Did you know…I'm defacto fired from my firm? No one wants an in the closet lawyer with a dead wife who had a masseuse lover and an ongoing police investigation. I was told…" He licked his lips and stared at Booth. "Zack's right. You have really great bone structure. No wonder he wanted you over me…'course" He leaned back in the chair and took a drink. "I've got the cheek bones. What was I talking about?"

"Zack's trial."

"Nono…Nope. Oh! My bosses…the Partners…I'm just an associate….Betcha they're really demons…cold enough for it. Anyway, they said to take a break to finish up this business with Anne and Zack and then, there would be a review board. On whether or not my AND I QUOTE Tragedy…end quote…would affect my work abilities. My wife is murdered. My boybriend nearly blown to bits." He holds up his forefinger and thumb and pinched them together. "Like this. BLOWN to bits. Yep…hey, I can squich yer head." He pinches the air in front of him with one eye closed. "And I might end up fired. Bitches. Like massive. Vodka good. Makes the pain hurt less…why are you here?"

"Zack-"

"Right." he nodded decisively. "Why?"

"Zack's car accident when he first came to DC."

"Yeah…did you know he's lucky to have use of that arm? Broke his leg too. Pops." Zerbrowski's head tilted sideways until his ear touched his shoulder. "You're tilted….and have two heads. How'd you do that?"

"How much have you drank?"

"What day is it?"

"Tuesday."

"Since last Thursday…or was it Friday? Maybe Wednesday? Sometime last week."

"I think you had enough."

"nope. I don't know where my car keys are." Zerbrowski leaned and whispered. "The plan is to drink until I can remember where my car keys are and then drive off a cliff. See, I may be an asshole but I did love my wife and my boyfriend. He didn't love me and she didn't love me. I was convenient for the both of them. Do you know what it's like to have lovers that will only take you because you're convenient?" Zerbrowski looked at Booth up and down then sneered. "Nope, guess not. Point is. Without my job, without the two people I care the most about, without the Copperheads…I got nothing to live for. No one wants me. It's quite sad actually. Zack found a better sugar daddy. I'm discarded."

"You broke up with him."

"Didn't mean to." A tear slide down the man's cheek. "I love the little screwball." He sniffled and looked down at the ground. "Why doesn't anyone love me?"

"You drink?" Booth was bewildered. He never liked dealing with drunks. Zerbrowski looked down at the bottle.

"Not all the time." He blinked sad puppy eyes up at Booth. "Wanna have sex?"

"No! I'm not gay."

"But you slept with Zack, right? No, wait! I don't want to know." Zerbrowski leaned back and closed his eyes. Booth had to work a little faster. Zerbrowski was passing out.

"Do you have files on Zack's case? The car crash?"

"Hmm? Yeeahh."

"Here at the house?"

"Yep!" Zerbrowski's arm shot up in the air and fell back into his lap. "Office."

"May I borrow it?"

"Why?"

"Cause I want to know more about Zack." Booth kept it simple. Zerbrowski was in no condition to do any heavy listening.

"Are you going to take care of him?" Booth looked at the drunk. Zerbrowski blinked up at him with big, teary eyes.

"Sure. Why don't you show me where is and then get some rest?"

"Rest sounds good."

"It is good. But first I need you to help me help Zack and get the file for me."

"Right!" Zerbrowski stood and swayed. "Whoa. World doesn't suppose to spin that fast."

"I know. Help me find the file, Zerbrowski."

"Call me Jim. My mother called me Jim. I miss my mother."

"Alright, Jim." Booth started walking down the hallway with Zerbrowski in his grip. Suddenly, the lawyer loomed sideways.

"This way." There were a set of French doors leading to the office. Zerbrowski banged into them once before Booth could get them open. "Thanks." He lunged to a metal filing cabinet. "Now where's the key?" Zerbrowski stared at the top drawer of the cabinet, pouting. Booth looked around without letting go of the drunken man. He grabbed a silver key off of the desk.

"Here." Zerbrowski reared back to try and focus on the key.

"Yup." Booth let him sit down. "Top….thing."

"Drawer?"

"Yeah. Under Addy." Booth pulled out a thick file and glared at Zerbrowski. "So I stalked the guy before I asked if he wanted to have sex with me. I don't gamble with my reputation."

"So, you knew about Bradley Oscarmann? And his mother?" Booth looked at the Michigan newspaper clippings. There was a picture of Olivia in a family photo in one of the clippings. Booth looked at Bradley. Good looking kid with an easy smile. No wonder Zack had been in love with him. He seemed like a kid that was easy to love. In another picture in the clipping was Zack. It looked like a school id photo and Zack looked leery and creepy like he was doubting the world's intelligence…or maybe just the photographers'. Deeper in the file was the court case data for the car accident. Booth took the entire file and pulled the man upstairs to dump him on the first bed he found. After a moment of thought, Booth left a glass of water and a couple of aspirin on the bedside table next to a snoring Zerbrowski. He let himself out and locked the doorknob lock on his way out.

* * *

Author After Talk: Hey for the first time I hit my word count goal. Four thousand words, baby. Yeehaw! Also, I was looking up surnames

Ackart- strong willed

and I found Dr. Brennan's

**Brennan: (Irish) **From the Irish surname _Ó Braonáin_ which means "descendent of Braonán". _Braonán_ is a first name meaning "sorrow." It is comprised of _braon, "_tear drop" and a diminutive suffix.

Temperance means self restraint. So, Dr. Temperance Brennan's name literally means…"Self restrained sorrow" or "Restrained Sorrow". How romantic. I feel like that name belongs to a painting of a saint from the Renaissance period. I suddenly like Kathy Reichs and Brennan a lot more. I feel like I said this before but oh well. Talk to me

Tropic


	33. Chapter 33

**_"The Face with Two Skeletons_**"

**_By_**: Tropicwhale

**_Disclaimer_**: I've got love and I got rhythm but I don't have the characters in this story to go with them. I've got no money. I've got no diamonds either. But it doesn't stop me from wanting more, more, more. Eh, I've got Zerbrowski. . .anyone want to trade? Hart Hanson? No? Drat.

**_WARNING_**: This chapter includes **GAY SMUT**. Just thought you all should know/enjoy.

**_Author Talk_**: So, yeah…updates, anyone?

* * *

**Chapter Thirty-Three**

Booth had studied the files that he was given over and over at the public library before he allowed himself to go home that evening. When he thought he could handle talking to Zack he went home, leaving the files under the driver's seat in the car, and went up to his apartment. Outside the door he took a deep breath once he had the key in the lock before turning it. He could do this. He used to be a sniper…and faced down his share of murderers/serial killers. He could handle Zack. He walked through the door and locked it behind him. He followed his nose through the apartment into the kitchen. He leaned up against the doorway and sniffed. "Smells good." He said, causing Zack to jump and turn to face him with wide eyes. Booth smiled. The kid was just too cute. "What's for dinner?" Zack blinked and then looked down at the spatula in his hand. He turned back to the food before answering.

"Steak, it was on sale. Carrots, Broccoli and mashed potatoes." Booth smiled some more.

"Wow. Making enough for me, too?" No assumptions. Zack turned and stared at him like he suddenly had green skin and was speaking Marsian.

"Yes."

"Great. I'm starved. Do you need help?" Booth asked and stepped into the kitchen. Zack licked his lips.

"No." Booth rolled up his sleeves anyway and washed his hands.

"I owe you an apology, Zack." Booth said, staring into the sink. Zack turned to him, spatula in hand, deer-in-the-headlines look firmly affixed to his face.

"For what?"

"I've been a jerk to you for awhile now. You'd think we'd move past all that but this case…my superiors are leaning on me to get a confession out of you which is completely unethical especially since all we have is circumstantial evidence that just doesn't add up. Like you were in Iraq when Olivia was murdered in Alabama and Anne's death just doesn't add up. The only thing they have solid on you is the fact you can strip flesh from bone pretty effectively."

"You shouldn't tell me all this…the murder investigation-"

"You wouldn't have boiled the bodies and then fed them to alligators. That takes a certain malice you just don't have."

"Agent Booth! Stop. I don't want to have to lie under oath." Booth looked at him. Opportunity had presented itself. He didn't take it.

"Sorry Zack. I guess you can say I'm just frustrated and I've been taking it out on you." Zack blinked and turned back to the food. "Here, let me finish the food and you can set the table." Zack's head snapped to look at him. "What?" Booth asked with an innocent look on his face.

"Nice try." Zack said.

"What?" Booth really worked to look confused.

"I've been cooking for two hours and all that's left is to drain and mash the potatoes. _You_ can set the table." Booth smiled.

"Was I that obvious?" Booth leaned in conspiratorially, smiling.

"Yes." Zack leaned in as well. Zack seemed to notice the proximity and pulled back first. "Get to it, Booth." He said, somewhat stiffly. Booth laughed and rubbed Zack's head. He got plates, flatware and glasses out and walked out to set the table. Zack grinned at Booth's attitude and ladled broccoli into a bowl. He dumped the slices of potato into the sieve in the sink and then promptly dumped them back into the pot. Booth had come back into the kitchen and had added a good tablespoon or so of butter into the potatoes as Zack got out the electric hand mixer. Booth added salt and pepper and then took the bowls of broccoli and carrots out to the table. Zack added milk to the potatoes and started to mash them on high. Booth took the steaks out of the pan and put them onto a plate. He stole a fingerful of potato and Zack slapped his arm for it. They both chuckled as Booth retreated from the kitchen.

A few minutes later they were sitting at the table enjoying a feast of a meal. They ate in more or less silence because Booth was watching Zack and Zack was politely waiting for Booth to start a conversation. Booth took his time watching Zack eat. It was all precision and mechanical, cutting up his meat and vegetables to manageable bits and actually chewing each bite twenty-four times. Booth didn't think anyone actually did that. It was sort of a surreal feeling sitting across from Zack eating dinner. It felt good, great in fact but completely odd. Like it wasn't supposed to be happening. Like having a wave of vertigo while standing on firm, solid ground by the seashore. It was a heady experience. He was buzzed off of Zack's company. So maybe he was attracted to the littlest squint. And maybe he wanted to keep it a secret not because of his career or anything like that but because…it was like the time that his grandfather had taken him and Jared down to Rehoboth beach in Delaware one summer. That beach was all rocks and gritty sand but Seeley had found a conch shell. A whole conch shell. He had hidden it from his brother and grandfather because it was his own special treasure. It was like that with Zack. He felt possessive and proud of it. He grinned at Zack when the scientist chanced a glance at him. Booth wondered what his face would look like in candlelight and lamented the fact he didn't keep candles in the apartment. Of course, Booth grinning like a loon freaked Zack out. "What?" Booth blinked innocently.

"Oh nothing. Just thinking." Zack raised an eyebrow.

"You can think?" he said wryly. Booth chuckled.

"Maybe not on _your_ level." The corner of Zack's mouth quirked up.

"Few people can think on my level."

"That's probably true." Zack frowned. Booth grinned.

"What's that suppose to mean?"

"What's what supposed to mean?" Booth countered.

"That it's probably true that few people have my level of intellect and have thought processes on my level of acumen."

"Acumen?" Booth asked.

"It means intelligence." Zack's frown deepened.

"I know what it means, Zack." Zack's expression teetered between anger and confusion. "I have some acumen myself."

"You used it wrong."

"No, I didn't."

"Yes, you did."

"Acumen doesn't just mean intelligence. It means shrewdness and expertise. I have my own expertise and you have yours. I used it correctly." Zack blinked at him and Booth had to spend a second or two wrestling with the urge to lick the brainiac's nose when it scrunched up. Nope, he wasn't going allow himself distraction tonight. He had a mission and Seeley Booth always completed his missions. "Wanna know what my acumen is in, Zack?" They were almost finished eating. Now was as good as a time as any.

"What?"

"Finding out the truth. Why'd you lie to Hodgins about driving the SUV, Zack?" Zack froze and stared at Booth. Booth took the time to take a bite out of a stalk of broccoli. "Zack?"

"He told you about that?" Booth ate some of his mashed potatoes.

"Robbie told me that he and Keg pulled you from the crash of the bicycle. So, what gives, Zack? Why are you trying to make yourself out to be a bad guy?"

"I'm not."

"You are." Determination came into Zack's face and he looked really angry.

"I'm not. Hodgins was trying to mother me and make me feel guilty about not telling him about Zerbrowski and the Copperheads. It isn't any of his business and it isn't any of yours."

"I know." Zack's anger had the rug pulled from beneath it and he looked unsure. "Everyone has been treating you like you're going to break any second. Me too. In fact, I think you probably have had yelled at me too if you didn't have a crush on me." Zack's face flinched and Booth felt a stab of guilt in his belly. But he held his position. Retreat now was not an option. "It must be very difficult…for a twenty-seven year old guy" Zack snapped a shocked look at him. "to be mothered because he was dumped, accused of two murders, maybe three, nearly blown up and nearly shot multiple times. You've had it rough lately. Having your private life pulled out for all to see and analyzed. It's not fair but it's a side effect of being involved in a murder investigation…which I know you know. Unfortunately, you also have a lot of people who really care about you and really want to care for you. Let us. You don't have to lie to us, Zack." Zack had the good sense to look down, suitably chastened. "You don't have to lie to me." Zack looked at him through quickly growing bangs. "If you don't like how I'm treating you, call me on it. I'm a big guy," Booth smiled in a self-deprecating fashion. "I can take it." Zack shifted and looked back down. A part of Booth's brain whispered _Poor kid_ a second before Booth reached over and grabbed Zack's hand. There was a thudding sound in Booth's ears, a rushing sense of vertigo when Zack looked up fully into Booth's eyes. Zack licked his lips nervously. Booth's stomach was tight with a good dinner and nervousness. "You don't have to pull away from me." Zack pulled back his hand and stood and went into the kitchen with his plate. Minutely, there was water running and plates and pans clattering. Booth quickly finished the food on his plate and followed Zack into the kitchen. He pushed Zack away from the sink and started to do the dishes. "Take a load off. You cooked." Zack narrowed his eyes and defiantly grabbed a dish towel and started to dry the dishes and pans that Booth washed as well and putting the leftovers into Tupperware. Booth smiled at the man which only seemed to piss Zack off. Booth quickly looked away to smother a laugh as a cough into his sleeve. Zack pissed off reminded Booth of an angry puppy.

Soon, the kitchen and table were clean and Zack was out of options…or so Booth thought. Booth turned to speak to Zack and the other man had darted into the bathroom and within a minute the shower was running. Booth stared down the hall with his heart hammering in his chest. Should he? He shouldn't. He wanted to. He shocked himself with how much he wanted to but Zack sort of ended that conversation without ever saying a word. Booth felt as if his mission wasn't complete. Booth always completed his missions. Right? Right.

But, wasn't it an invasion of privacy if Booth joined Zack in the shower without an invitation? Zack could claim he didn't want sex with Booth if not right now than ever.

But, Zack had a crush on Booth and it wasn't like the kid hadn't made the first move. He just hadn't made a second. It couldn't have been the sex. Okay, so it wasn't technically sex as Booth's mind and Catholic upbringing had defined it but it was close and it was good. Even with Zack in casts and with busted ribs…it was good. Booth could admit that and he'd be stupid not to want a repeat of a good thing.

But, if Zack didn't want a repeat because he was angry at Booth then Booth didn't want to push the issue even if he did want to discuss it.

But Zack could hide in the bathroom all night and Booth did have work in the morning. He couldn't afford to wait out the squint. That solved it. He was going in.

Pun not intended.

Booth took a step toward the bathroom and stopped. Guh. Stupid morals. He kicked off his shoes and pulled off his socks. The wood floor of his apartment was cold on his bare feet. He undid his tie and flung it onto the couch. Another step. Another moment of hesitation. The buttons of his shirt were undone and the shirt discarded. The air should have been hot from the early summer air but the air conditioning was making his skin goosepimple. All too soon, Booth was staring at the door of the bathroom. He wish he had an excuse, a more mundane reason for invading Zack's shower like he was planning on doing.

Towels! Zack didn't grab a towel from the linen closet on his mad dash to the bathroom. Booth quickly grabbed two of his biggest, fluffiest towels and was back in front of the bathroom door in a few seconds. He huffed in annoyance at his own hesitation. He was good at sex. He had had lots of really wickedly good sex. Okay, yeah that sex was with women and really the only _guy_ he had really had experience with was Zack. Booth had a little internal laugh at that. Zack probably didn't even think about how he took Booth's homosexual virginity. And didn't that make Booth a little more nervous? Booth was pretty much a virgin when it came to this stuff. Zack was the one with all the experience with men. It was a different, if somewhat familiar skill set. A small part of him, the conservative Catholic part, whispered it wasn't natural, instinctual. Another part, the part that was influenced overmuch by Bones whispered that ten percent of the population was gay or alternatively sexually inclined. That part whispered that sex was sex and love was love and attraction didn't have to be contained by partially outdated mores of a society that was quickly changing thanks to things like the internet and human rights. Booth was allowed to feel attraction for Zack. Okay, maybe not allowed seeing as Zack was, at the very least, a person of interest in a double homicide and Booth was the investigating officer. And if that didn't make it all the more attractive? That Booth shouldn't morally feel attraction to this particular man at this particular moment in time? He was allowed to feel attraction for men…just not Zack, just not _right now_. Some darker part of Booth licked his lips in anticipation. He put down the towels and undid his trousers, pulling them and his underwear off in one swoop. He stepped out of them and picked up the towels. He was going to do this thing. So what if his heart was hammering a tarantella and his breathing was a little irregular and it felt like he was going to have a stroke…God, why was he so nervous? Booth squared his shoulders, pushed on by his own indecision and opened the sliding door to his bathroom. He shut it just as quickly and, dropping the towels by the door, was in his shower holding a soapy, slippery Zack to keep either of them from falling. A clawed bath with attached shower was soo not a good place to engage in anything sexual Booth belatedly realized. The whole bath was too rounded and sloped with a lot of hard and/or sharp edges to smack one's head against. Neither Booth nor Zack managed to, luckily and in part to Booth's expertise in avoiding injury from this very bathtub. "We didn't finish our conversation at dinner, Zack." Was the only thing that Booth could think to say, standing under a drenching shower spray, having his face buried in the short wet hair of a very still squint, his arms wrapped around Zack's arms and his waist. Secretly, he was chanting _Come on Zack catchup,catchup_, feeling more nervous than he did when he had proposed to Rebecca. Zack better do something quick because Booth was losing his-

Zack turned and looked at Booth like he was looking at a particularly interesting set of hairline fractures on a skull. "You don't want this." He said, very convincingly. Was Zack trying to Jedi-mindtrick Booth into not wanting sex?? Well, if one of the squints could do it then Zack would be that squint. What does someone say to that?

"Wanna bet on that, Zack?" And here enters Bizarro-world. Zack was still looking at him with that look of intense concentration. "You pulled away." He said, by way of explanation.

"You're straight."

"You're the exception." Booth took a deep breath and shifted them more into the warm spray of water. "The _only_ exception."

"You're mothering me." Zack accused, a little angrily. Booth made a face.

"God, I hope not. Not with what I have in mind."

"You shouldn't want me….Once is a fluke, twice is a pattern." Zack tried, once again, to explain.

"And three times is a habit." Zack started at that. Booth shifted so his lips touched Zack's ear and the man was deeper in his arms. "Trust me, Zack. I wouldn't mind if this became a habit." Both of Booth's arms were around Zack's waist at this point and he nibbled at Zack's ear and the spot just below it. The scientist melted in Booth's arms at that point and moaned. "Zack? I'm not going to continue without your oral agreement." Zack whimpered. "I mean it, Zack."

"Yes. I want you to continue." Zack was a little breathless.

"Great..." And Booth's brain froze. Crap. "Zack," he whispered against the squint's mouth, not quite kissing.

"Yes, Agent Booth?" Hmm, that wouldn't do. Booth pulled back until Zack had two eyes instead of one.

"Seeley. We're going to do this….Seeley. At least in private, okay?" Zack nodded, biting his lips, and wrapped his arms around Seeley's neck. Yeesh, that felt really good. They kissed, briefly, wetly.

"Seeley?" Eep. Okay. His given name shouldn't turn him on so much.

"Yeah." And his voice shouldn't sound like he smoked most of his life. He swallowed, trying to draw moisture into his throat.

"You were going to say something before I called you Agent Booth?" Zack prompted. Booth's libido nearly clipped him right there.

"Right." Focus, Booth, is a good thing. "Uh?" Zack smiled. Booth was kinda shocked to see that he had a sexy smirk. Huh. The little squint surprised him again.

"Forgot?"

"Yep." Musta been a lie. Booth pulled Zack in to kiss him again.

"Let's see if we can get you to remember." Zack held back cruelly. Hey. Not fair!

"Zzzzacknnn…" Booth whined. He could admit it. He whined.

"Let's see." Zack paused in thought, his eyes narrowed. "I was saying how I wanted you to continue."

"And now you're not letting me."

"And you said 'great' and then paused." Zack plowed on. It was a puzzle. Zack was good at solving puzzles. "Hmm."

"Zack!" Booth whined again, this time more insistently. Zack ran his hands down Booth's arms and down his scapulae, then back around Booth's biceps and down his ribs, counting with those clever, long fingers of his; all the while thinking and staring at Booth's face under the spray. Slowly a smile spread on his face and it was so not a good smile. It was a slightly evil genius smile and wow, since when did Other Seeley find evil genius smiles attractive? Zack looked down between their bodies to watch Booth grow. And he did grow. Just from Zack _looking_ at him. Zack licked his lips again and looked up at Seeley's face then held up a bar of soap.

"Wash my back if I wash yours?" He said with a smug calculating look. And boy! Did Seeley like that or what?

"Yeah." To his dying day, Booth refused to admit he squeaked just then…no matter what Zack said. Then, they were kissing again, the soap passing between them and over their bodies. After a quick and minimized scuffle (slippery bathtub) Booth had Zack turned around and slightly bent over with an arm around the scientist's waist so he could soap down his back and legs. Zack arched into the treatment like a really horny cat. Suddenly, Zack stretched up to the ceiling forcing Booth to let go. Zack turned with that same calculating look on his face. Booth resisted the urge to ask 'What?' and the separate urge to cover his genitals with his hands. Just sex. It was just sex. No reason to flip out. Uh-huh. Just sex. Zack tilted his head to the side to catch the water spray and took the soap out of Booth's hand.

"Your turn. Turn around." Zack said. Booth turned because…well, why shouldn't he? Zack started at his shoulders and went slow; carefully covering every inch of Booth's back and arms, working the soap into a lather. All Booth had to do was stand there. It was so weird. He usually was the one in charge during sex and foreplay but this…this was nice too. It wasn't until he felt something on the inside side of his knees did he realize that Zack must have shifted to his knees at some point which naturally short-circuited Seeley's brain. Up Seeley's thighs went the soap and down went Zack's hand working it into bubbly lather. Eep. Seeley didn't know whether or not to feel really clean or really dirty. Zack was very thorough. Very, very thorough. Knees, thighs, ankles, _everything _got washed to the point Seeley was gripping himself tightly to keep from coming and they hadn't even gotten to the heavy stuff! Talk about eye-opening surprises.

"Zack?" Booth asked softly, soundly like he hadn't spoken in years. "You gotta stop…I…it's too much." There was a lick on the back of Seeley's knee. Just a little cat lick.

"Okay." And Booth turned around. Too soon. Zack was still on his knees, sitting back on his heels and eye level with a very interested part of Booth's anatomy. Zack tilted his head to the side again and smiled up at Booth. "Need help with that?"

"Zack-"

"Trust me. Tonight, you'll get multiple orgasms." Zack said in his matter-of-fact voice. And didn't that just take the cake?

"Mu-multi?-ah!" Zack's mouth found his way to Booth's skin. Suction through closed teeth and a hand around Booth's leg to keep him standing. The other hand was occupied as well, gently soaping places where Seeley never even thought to soap consciously. Okay, maybe he had…when he was still in high school but not for a very, very long time. Then the teeth opened and Booth got first hand experience just how warm Zack's mouth was, okay maybe not first _hand_… Booth still had to grip himself. He wanted to enjoy this for a little while longer. Zack pulled back with a pop and an annoyed look up at his sexual partner.

"Did you know…Agent Booth," he started, gentling Booth's death grip off himself. "That the human penis is at its most sensitive immediately following orgasm?" And that did it. That stupid little fact undid Special Agent Seeley Booth of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. When he returned from his little white out moment Zack was standing and washing off his face, chest and hair of Booth's spunk in the cold water spray. He turned off the water and slid the shower curtain back and turned to help a still partly dazed Seeley from the tub. "Oh good. You brought in towels." Booth vaguely wondered how Zack could sound so…relatively normal. Zack grabbed a towel and dried off when Booth just sat on the closet toilet seat to blink at him. Zack walked over, still erect, and dried off Booth as thoroughly as he soaped him off. Booth just leaned back and took the treatment.

"You know, that's the fastest I've ever…" There was a queer little hand gesture "Since high school." Zack was kneeling again and intent on drying Booth's right foot.

"I finished high school by the time I was twelve. I wasn't sexually active then."

"Twelve?"

"Yes. My mother told me I had to wait two years before going to college. Longest two years of my life." Zack looked up at Booth with serious eyes as he dried the other foot. "I was really, really bored." Booth laughed and slid to sit on Zack's thighs.

"Want me to help you with that?" Booth asked in a deeply serious voice, the sexiest voice he had, looking down at Zack's erect penis. Zack looked down too, his head brushing Booth's, his hands on Booth's sides.

"Eventually." Zack looked up. "I take forever to climax…right now I'm not even close." Booth looked at Zack's serious expression.

"Not even close?" He didn't squeak.

"Nope. Do you want me to bring to climax here in the bathroom or wait until we're in bed?" Booth felt his eyes going cross eyed.

"Wait, but the last time we....?"

"The last time…I was…I hadn't had sex or orgasm in approximately two weeks. Sitting next to you shirtless for a half an hour didn't help either." Booth smiled at that. It was a smug smiled. "Stop that. You smiling makes me weak at the knees…literally." Booth grinned at that and started pushing Zack until the squint was lying on his back with the towel between them and Booth hovering over him. He ground down into Zack at the pelvis and grinned when the scientist arched into it, returning the movement. He glanced down at Zack's groin and paused. "You don't have to, you know." Booth looked back up at Zack's face. "There's no pressure for you to perform oral on me. I don't really enjoy it all that much anyway…I prefer your kisses…" Zack shifted "on my lips. I _really_ like how you kiss." Zack's eyes closed a little and Booth watched as they visibly dilated. "Really" There was a push up against Booth's pelvis. "Really" Another grinding movement. "Really like how you kiss."Another push up and Booth was descending on Zack's mouth. Hands were everywhere and Booth found he really liked how Zack kissed too. In fact everything Zack did was meticulous and specific. It really turned Booth on. Zack stretched underneath him and hooked a leg around Booth's thigh. Zack's one arm was wrapped around Booth's neck and his other hand had a very firm handful of Booth's derriere. Eep.

"Zack."

"Hmm?" There were a few open-mouthed kisses between the sounds that made up the hmm.

"This floor" A suck on his tongue and he nipped at Zack's neck before he could finish the sentence. "Not a good place for sex." Zack hummed and wiggled. "Stop that." Booth's order was completely undercut by the fact he didn't stop sucking on Zack's clavicle. Zack ran a finger down Booth's spine making the man shutter over him. Booth was almost completely erect again.

"Make me, Agent Booth." Booth shuttered again and nipped at Zack's nipple. "Ah!"

"It's _Seeley_ to you, mister." He growled.

"I'll call you whatever I wish, Agent Booth." Booth stopped at that and looked at Zack. The squint was laughing.

"You little-"

"Not that little." Zack cut him off and glanced down which caused Booth to look down. Okay…not _that_ little. Huh. That's not fair. "Agent Booth?" Seeley glanced up at Zack's innocent face. "Bet you I can make you come again without touching you." Zack smiled slightly which faltered and died when Booth suddenly loomed over him.

"You're not going to get the opportunity to do that and it's _Seeley._" Booth shut Zack up with a kiss before a retort could be made. Booth's hand started by cupping Zack's head and inched downward. Down the nape of his neck, across his shoulder blades until he could partly lift Zack into a sitting position and Zack threw his arms around his neck and his legs around Booth's hips. Seeley wrapped his other arm under Zack's butt and attempted to stand. Zack pulled back partly and dropped his feet down to the ground so that they could stand and continue to kiss. "Bed? Bed's a good idea." Booth babbled between kisses.

"Mm." There was a hand clutching Seeley's damp hair. "You can still speak…I need to work harder." Zack was sucking a spot under Seeley's right ear. Seeley was busy walking them back to the door. Through the doorway into the bedroom. Stumbled into the bed. Tumbled into the bed. Zack dug his heel into the mattress and arched into Booth. Seeley pushed down and grunted at the friction, his forearms on either side of Zack's head. "Booth?" there was a grunt of disapproval. "Booth." Zack's tone went from questioning to insistent. "Booth."

"Shut up, Zack." Booth push down and tried to kiss Zack. Zack moved his mouth away from the kiss and Booth settled for his throat.

"No." Zack got one hand tangled in Booth's hair and the other slapped against his clavicle. "Not until you tell me something." Booth glared down at Zack.

"What?"

"Did you want me to be on top or did you want to?" And didn't that just derail Booth's brain. Fooling around with Zack was one thing (and what a great thing that was) but was Seeley okay with going all the way? Well, yeah, he knew that when he started this mission that penetrative sex was the objective, and great now he sounded like Zack or Brennan in his own headspace, but making that choice now? It made the idea seem so….concrete.

"Do we have to decide that now?"

"It's preferable." Zack stated in that robotic tone of his.

"Can you give me a few reasons why?" Booth asked, realizing it probably made him sound even more inexperienced in this area and that annoyed Booth. "Just a few. I don't need a rundown, Zack." Zack nodded and suddenly they were back on footing Booth was more familiar with. Zack giving information that Booth needed to complete a mission.

"It helps me concentrate on what needs to get done which in turn will make it easier for you to relax and enjoy it rather than fumbling around guessing which decrease the chance of injury during the penetrative sex act itself." Booth would have wondered at Zack's breath control had he not just experienced the events in the shower. Zack tilted his head to the side. "Like that, Agent Booth?" Booth half-heartedly glared down at Zack and bounced. Zack laughed even as he said "Ow. You're heavy." Booth's jaw dropped and he rolled them until Zack was on top. "You do realize this puts me at an advantage, correct?" And before Booth could react Zack had caught his hands above Booth's head and leaned so Booth was essentially trapped. "I can hold you here all night using my body weight and I don't have work in the morning so I insist you answer my question…do you want to be on top or would you rather me do it?" And Booth was right back where he started…hesitation. He turned to look at the window with its blinds drawn. It was still light out. Summer daylight hours. He looked back at Zack and swallowed.

"You. I don't really know what I'm doing here now do I?"

"I could talk you through it." Zack offered. "Even do a large portion of it myself. I don't mind." Booth smiled. Zack really was very sweet which sorta sealed the deal.

"You do it. I don't mind." Zack smiled and leaned in to kiss Booth. He kissed Booth long and hard and deep, shifting until he was straddling Booth's chest rather than his waist or hips. At some point Zack allowed Booth to shift his hands until their fingers were interlaced. Zack slowly pulled back from the kiss, like a power drill in reverse and with more spit.

"Next question." Zack said more than a little breathless, his lips swollen and red. Booth licked at them proudly. "Lubrication?" Booth blinked. Well, yeah. That made sense.

"Uh."

"I don't suppose you masturbate regularly." Zack stated.

"What?! No!" Zack grinned at Booth's blush which morphed into a smirk. "And stop taking pleasure from my embarrassment." Zack grinned some more.

"Schadenfreude"

"God bless you."

"It means 'happiness at the misfortune of others'…according to _Avenue Q_. There's also a song in that musical called "The Internet is for Porn"."

"And "If you were gay"." Booth added.

"I'd shout Hurray." Zack deadpanned and then smirked. Booth reached up for a kiss.

"There's probably some petroleum jelly in the medicine cabinet in the bathroom." Zack sighed.

"I suppose I'll be the one getting it?"

"Well, you are giving it. Get to it, Toppy McTopperson, we're burning daylight." Zack got off Booth and the bed with a wigged out face. "What?"

"That sounded like something Hodgins would say. Why am I attracted to you?"

"Hey! Go get the lube, Zack." Booth threw a pillow at Zack's face. Zack walked back to the bathroom laughing and came back into the bedroom laughing. He threw a small container of petroleum jelly onto Booth's stomach and followed it with a carton of condoms and then followed that with himself. Booth 'whoof'ed each time as the wind got knocked out of him. Zack snuggled into Booth before the federal officer could retaliate and reached for the jelly. Booth's breathing sped up and his somewhat deflated erection made a comeback. Zack looked up at Booth's face.

"Relax…and open your legs a little." Booth glared at him. "What? I'm just been practical. You started this. If-" Booth kissed Zack to shut him up and distract himself from the weird sense of aroused panic. It was just sex! He could do sex. It was just another aspect of the same basic act, right? Seeley Booth could do that. He spread his legs. A slick hand stroked his erection to fullness before dipping down to play with his testicles and then further…Booth's kissing became a tad hysterical and Zack took it and guided to something closer to passionate rather than frantic. It was good. Zack was good…at least at kissing. Booth hadn't forgotten the time Zack asked for sexual advice when what'sherface from Paleontology had shot him down. Of course, that was sex with a girl and this was a whole different-Halleluiah! "And that, Agent Booth, is your prostate." Zack said against chapped lips. Booth blinked and reassessed his thought patterns. Zack, with his free hand, pushed one of Booth's legs down so he could crawl between Booth's knees and get a better angle. "Are you doing okay?" he asked after a particularly interesting twist of two fingers.

"Yep." Booth told the ceiling.

"Seeley, look at me." Zack said and did that twisty thing again. Booth looked and reached for himself. Zack slapped his hand away and a few seconds later Booth was experiencing his second orgasm of the night at the hands of Dr. Zack Addy; PhD, PhD.

When Booth came back to himself he was bent in half at the hips and Zack was hovering over him. "You called me Seeley." He said.

"You asked me to."

"Yeah but…" There was pressure where Booth really wasn't used to having pressure and he jumped.

"It's okay…it's just my erection." Booth glared at Zack who just smirked in return. "I was waiting for you to wake up from your faint."

"I passed out."

"Yes. For a few minutes." There were times that Booth really wanted to strangle Zack. This was one of those times.

"ZACK!" He did not whine. He didn't!

"Yes, Agent Booth?" Seeley growled. Low and threatening so that even Zack would get the hint. Which he did…because hey, Zack's a genius! It took a few minutes for Booth to adjust to the weird sensation and a few more minutes for them to get a rhythm and a few more minutes before that rhythm actually picked up speed and felt good for Booth. Then he just laid back and enjoyed the ride. Dusk had started to fall, dim orange light flooding the room and Zack's intent face. Booth's breathing increased at the look Zack was giving him. It wasn't a sexy look or a sex filled look but it was an intent look. It was a look that was focused on making sure Booth was alright, that he was good that started the third, slow build to climax low in Seeley's belly. He spread his legs wider and counterpointed Zack's rhythm. They moved against each other while having a staring contest of all things. It was absurd! Just like Booth's attraction for Zack, it was just absurd…which was humorous in its own way. Booth start to laugh but felt the urge drawn into his building orgasm so it never reached his lips. He broke eye contact because, well, it was too much, too intimate, too absurd, too _Zack_. Zack kissed the column of his throat and rubbed a palm over one of Booth's nipples and that sent Seeley over. His body contracted and released and contracted again, his breath was haggard and wheezing, and there were parts of him that hurt for it but, oh, was it _good_. He was too old for three orgasms a night but he wasn't about to complain. When Booth returned from his little blackout Zack was still moving above him and suddenly made a little noise like a yelp or a whimper…maybe a whimpering yelp? Or a yelping whimper? and tensed, still moving. His head bowed down to his chest and his fingers dug into Booth's hips, his breathing as ragged as Booth's was moments ago. Booth clenched around him and Zack gasped in surprise, raising his head and opening his eyes to look at Booth. Booth clenched again and Zack shuddered uncontrollably. He clenched one more time, holding it this time, and Zack let out a noise that, at a higher volume and pitch, might have been a scream. Tears gathered at the corner of his eyes and Booth started whispering nothings to easy him through the climax, stroking his skin, watching him come undone. Then, Zack collapsed, gasping for breath like a landed fish. Booth continued to stroke his hair, his neck and his shoulders until he could get himself under control.

"Holy crap." Zack said, his mouth pressed somewhere around Booth's shoulder. Booth just laughed. Mission completed.

* * *

**_Author After Talk_**: The longest chapter in this story and 3,000 words out of its 6,000 plus count is devoted to smut. These boys are a lot harder to work with than say Xander and Spike who have such an easy sexuality about them. Not that Booth and Zack aren't sexy, it's just…there was a lot more negotiation and logic that went into this scene. I don't know if it was because it was a first time thing as far as Booth's technical virginity or because it was a relationship first or if it was Zack's (frankly) weirdness that contributed to it being difficult to write or all of the above but every time I got them into a groove one of them opened their mouths. It was…frustrating. Tell me what you think…for future reference cuz in two chapters they're doing it again.

Tropic


	34. Chapter 34

_**The Face with Two Skeletons**_

**_By_**: Tropicwhale

_**Disclaimer**_: So not mine

_**Author Talk**_: Hello, my cashews. Here in lies not so much a filler chapter but an interlude…it does contains the continuation/beginning? of a interesting little subplot and my first ever attempt at a straight couple in bed. No, they don't have sex but they do cuddle. I didn't like the idea of having two chapters of Zeeley sex in a row and there's this idea that sort of has to occur in order to catalysis certain events and, you'll see. Just read, enjoy and realize it really is all about Zack and Booth. Also? 100 hundred reviews? I've a hundred reviews for a single story…that's a record….and so neat. Thank you. Without your support I don't think this story would have made it this far.

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**Chapter Thirty Four**

Hodgins stretched and twisted, inhaling the slightly floral scent of Angela's pillow. Fabric softener. One of the greatest inventions given to men who spent nights in their girlfriends' bed. Angela always sort of smelt like that vague floral scent underneath whatever sexy perfume she was wearing but above the natural musk of her skin, somewhere on the same level as her shampoo, conditioner and soap. Grapefruit. That was the scent of her shampoo and conditioner and her soap was lavender which fed into the vague floral of her clean, fabric softener clothes. Hodgins loved that scent. He loved how it sort of layered. Like Angela. It was a palpable scent he could cuddle with his nose. Inhaled it into his lungs and let that palpability sink into the rest of his body. It left him feeling not arousal or contentment but happy. A mixture of all the good feelings he was capable of feeling…that was Angela's scent. He snuggled under the covers and stretched a little more until his hand encountered the soft line of Angela's skin. He let his hand explore that stretch of skin that was exposed by Angela's rucked up sleep tee shirt and her lacy panties. He allowed himself to scoot closer to her sleeping body, turned away from him and toward the window, burying his nose in her grapefruit scented hair, shift his leg against the line formed by her legs laying on top of one another, and settled to go back to sleep. She shifted into him, her butt brushing his groin so sleep was off the menu but sex was suddenly on it. He hummed contentedly and she arched into his chest a little. "Hey." She said in a sexy, sleep-slurred voice.

"Hey back." Jack said softly. She shifted in his arms so that they could face each other. "What time is it?"

"Seven something." She purred. "Early."

"Early enough." he could be debonair if he wanted to.

"Mm." Angela let her eyes roam down Jack's body to his boxers and back up to his eyes. Jack just laid there and let her.

"What are you thinking?" He asked and pushed a strand of hair out of her eyes and behind her ear. Angela smiled her mischievous smile. Jack liked that smiled but then he like all her smiles.

"Particulates." She said. Jack laughed.

"Particulates?" He asked, surprised. She nodded.

"Yup."

"Why?"

"Oh come on! A hot chick admits to thinking about your area of expertise and all you can say is 'why'?"

"Well, yeah. I'm a scientist. I've a curious mind." Angela blinked at him.

"Wow. That was wrong on so many levels."

"I can think of a level where it's right."

"You are a sad, strange, little man." Angela quoted and rolled back over, laughing.

"I'm not sad." Hodgins cuddled up to her back. "Feel"

"Ah!" she laughed.

"Come on. No down and dirty morning sex before work? Guaranteed to put a smile on your face for the rest of the day...or at least until lunch."

"Oh good lord. Jack!"

"You? Turning down sex?" Angela turned back to face him.

"Hey, I'm not all about sex." Jack snorted. Angela was so about sex. "I'm not. You're more about sex than I am."

"Oh please."

"Where you or where you not the person that figured out that Booth was sleeping with Cam before anyone else?"

"That was just being observant."

"That was using your sex radar."

"My sex radar?" Hodgins asked. There was no such thing.

"Yup. You're far too nosy for your own good. You go looking for sex. Sex just sort of finds me."

"I've a nosy sex radar?" Hodgins was confused and amused to this turn in the conversation.

"Yup. I'm surprised you haven't figured out who Booth is sleeping with lately."

"He's been sleeping with someone?"Oo, Hodgins was intrigued.

"Yup."

"That's weird. How can you tell?"

"He's been jittery lately. Haven't you noticed that he always gets nervous whenever he has sex?"

"Catholic guilt." Hodgins says wisely.

"Big time."

"That's weird."

"You said that."

"Yeah. It's just….lately, he's been jittery about Zack and that's just-" Hodgins froze when he noticed the look on Angela's face. "You think Booth is sleeping with _Zack_?" Jack sat up. There was a split second of admiring Angela laying prone against her pillow looking up at him and then the disgust of Zack sleeping with Booth sunk in. "No. No way. Egugh." That was so gross. Angela raised her eyebrow but continued to lounge against the pillow.

"You work with bugs, grime and excrement and gay sex is what grosses you out?" She asked.

"Well…" Hodgins thought about it. It deserved thought. "No. I'm grossed out by the fact my girlfriend thinks my best friend would even like a guy like Booth."

"He liked a guy that was a sleazy married lawyer." she pointed out. "Compared to him Booth is a god." She grinned a sexy grin. "A sex god." Hodgins could see her point but couldn't get past his gag reflect of the thought of Zack and Booth sleeping together. It weirded him out.

"Yeah but Booth's straight."

"He invited Zack into his home when you kicked him out."

"Temporarily. I'm rebuilding the garage and the security system. It takes time and Zack wouldn't…ew. Zack could do so much better." Hodgins' mouth suddenly tasted like grimy copper. Yuck.

"He could have stayed here. The couch folds out into a bed." Hodgins looked down at Angela. She was a little angry with him. What did he do?

"I didn't see you offering. Besides, sexual healing. We would have kept him up all night." Angela glared and in a flash was out of bed and getting dressed from her closet.

"That was a really lame excuse, Jack." She pulled a blouse over her head and turned to glare at him, hands on hips, silk shirt clinging in all the right places, long tan legs flowing out of those tiny, cute, pink panties. Hodgins shifted and resisted the urge to adjust himself while he was having a fight. "You were pissed off that he wasn't just the geeky little loser that you had slotted him for. You just took him for face value. And for the record? I never said that I thought he was having sex with Booth. You came to that conclusion on your own." She turned around and pulled a skirt from her closet. Hodgins swore she said "Although, if Booth would be lucky if they were."

"What?" Hodgins' morning wood said 'so-long' for oh, about a _week_. "_Booth_ would be lucky?" Angela turned and put on her skirt.

"Well, yeah. Zack's sweet. It has to translate to the bedroom."

"Hello? We are still talking about the guy that bugged Booth and me about improving his sexual performance for like a year straight, right?" Angela gave Jack a look that questioned his intelligence. There was a sad, strangle little part of Hodgins that had him a little turned on by that look, even in the middle of a fight.

"I doubt Naomi from Paleontology's word. Have you seen her? She's a real dog. I doubt she had much to compare it to plus…she's been dating the overnight shipping girl, Toni." Hodgins' jaw dropped. "I doubt anything Zack could have done in bed would have please her."

"How did you know that?"

"Gossip…also, I saw them making out at a club I was at with a few friends."

"What club?" Angela shook her head at the gleam in Jack's eyes.

"A gay club. I went with a few gal pals of mine. Lesbians are a lot less pushy then most straight men. We go when we just want to have a little fun." Hodgins' mind stuttered to a stop with Angela making out with various women. Angela snapped him out of it by throwing his pants in his face. "Come on, get dressed, you idiot." Hodgins grinned up at her; interest in his pants growing high. She caught the look in his eye and threw a shirt at him. Needless to say, they were late to work that morning. Car trouble, as Cam understood it.

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_**Author After Talk**_: Yeah. I did. Next chapter is Zeeley sex, my little cashews. A little gratuitous but well, are you going to complain? Besides, this chapter plus the next five chapters is a sort fluffy bit. A high point before I push you off the cliff of this story. I may give you a parachute but then I may just laugh as you fall to your doom and write a Zeeley sex scene on your corpse to mock your spirit with the end of this story. I'm cruel like that. See ya, my little cashews...off to write about sex again.

Tropicwhale


	35. Chapter 35

_**The Face with Two Skeletons**_

_**by**_: Tropicwhale

_**Disclaimer**_: Not mine, not really

**_Author Talk/WARNING_**: THIS IS A SMUT CHAPTER, no underagelings allowed.

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_**Chapter Thirty-Five**_

Booth was sleeping on his stomach when he just woke up. No alarm, no weird noise in the pre-dawn light, he just woke up. Years of military training had made waking before dawn an integral part of Seeley Booth. However, something was off today and Booth couldn't put his finger on it. He stretch a little and rolled over onto his back.

He realized what was off, no not off…_different._ Three clues gave it away. One, ow! Rolling over onto his back hurt his buttocks and thighs. Two, he wasn't alone in the bed and three, the person he was with was definitely male. How Zack managed to get the covers over his head and bury it under the pillow but leave his lower half completely bare to prying eyes made Seeley grin.

Dr. Zackary Uriah Addy, PhD, PhD was a cover hog. Seeley braced most of his weight on his hands, his shoulders, and his heels to keep pressure of his sore bum while simultaneously checking out Zack's morning erection and long pale legs. Then Zack shifted, rolling over so that his butt was facing both up and at Seeley. Seeley raised his eyebrows and really didn't want to resist. What good would resistance do now anyway? His ass hurt already.

So, Seeley, being of sound mind and good body went to retrieve some of his blankets to cover his own bare derrière. In his attack he encountered smooth skin, a slow waking scientist and a fluffy down comforter. These were all good things that encouraged Seeley to continue his attack. Zack swatted at him and ended up with less comforter then he previously had. There was a mumbling of telling someone named Joseph to go away and bug Megan and something about surfing on jell-o and having invisible wings. In the meantime Seeley won most of the covers back and Other Seeley was very interested in the possibilities of the current situation. Booth decided to attack various parts of Zack's back with his lips and tongue. He slipped his hand around Zack's hips and was slowly milking the scientist (and his anatomy) more fully awake. "Zack," he whispered into the man's nape. "Wanna wake up a little?"

"Am wake little." Zack mumbled into the mattress. Seeley sucked on an ear. The left ear.

"That was intelligent." He retorted around his mouthful of ear cartilage.

"M not very intelligential sounding when I first wake up."

"Takes a while for that big brain of yours to gear up, huh?" Booth had cuddled up to Zack and pulled the covers over them both.

"Hmm." It felt really good to Seeley to have a sleepy, naked, and warm scientist lying under him. He nestled his face down past Zack's ear to plant his lips against his cheek. Zack shifted a little and his hand found Booth's hand on his sexual organ. "Don't you have work?"

"It's still early."

"What time is it?"

"Dawn."

"So around six fifteen." Of course Zack knew what time sunrise was suppose to happen. See the above comment about his big brain. "What time do you have to be into work?"

"Nine. Ten. I have time." Zack shifted away from Booth and then onto his back so that Booth didn't have to let go. Booth rolled more of his mass on top of Zack's body and started to stroke him in a smoother rhythm. Zack let a palm come up and land on Booth's shoulder and up to his neck to pull the man into a just-woke-up kiss. Booth made a sound that could have been "God, yes." into the kiss when Zack's other hand came up and splayed itself along Booth's flank and hip, dangerously close to Booth's erection. It moved away instead and got itself a handful of Booth's rear. Booth slid both of his hands up and around Zack's ribcage to pull the man more fully into a sitting position while simultaneously straddling Zack's groin. He planned on rutting until both of them climaxed and then taking a shower to clean up and work all the aches and pains out of his lower body. Maybe he'd come home for lunch and a quickie if he and Bones didn't go out into the field for some investigative work. Or maybe he should have car trouble this morning and call his boss and Bones and say he was going to be a half an hour late this morning. That would work. Two quickies or be late and have an extended session now?

Zack's hand that was kneading his ass sort of made that decision for him. Car trouble. He forgot to put gas in it or it was something with the starter. It was the Potomac humidity that did it. He grinded down onto Zack's pelvis while his hand made sure his thumb and forefinger paid special attention to Zack's glans and sulcus. Zack grunted and moaned and made half sounds of protest and responsibility that ended before they could really begin. Seeley dipped down to suck and nibble on Zack's earlobe then to suck on the muscle juncture between his neck and shoulder. Some spots were just the same for men and women. Zack moaned and arched up. Booth wiggled to get more comfortable and encourage Zack's groping hand to get more intimate. When Zack didn't get the hint (when did he?) Booth reached around and grabbed Zack's hand to move it toward Booth's-his…spot.

Seeley cleared his throat on his way down toward Zack's nipples. He could touch the guy's dick and lick his earlobe, allowed himself to be fucked the night before but not think 'anus'? His internal Brennan questioned his logic. The internal Bones was right, of course, but thinking along those lines caused panic and Booth was having too good a time with Zack to suddenly panic on him. That wasn't cool.

So, he moved his mouth back up to kiss Zack's mouth because kissing was fine and great and not panic causing at all which was what Seeley needed in that particular moment. Luckily, Zack didn't notice his almost panic attack and was skating two fingers from Seeley's perineum up past his opening and back again. Seeley sucked on Zack's tongue at the same time as saying "Cocktease."

"Am not." Zack retorted when Booth finally released his tongue. "I'm not teasing your erection. I'm teasing your sphincter muscle. Completely different sensation." To prove his point Zack dipped a finger tip past the muscle's resistance and back out again. "Feel?" Seeley growled.

"Zack." He whined. "Not funny." Zack smiled at full wattage. Seeley had to smile back.

"It is for me." and in the finger went. Booth's neck snapped back and he gasped. Zack fingered him and licked his neck, his other hand gliding over Seeley's skin. Booth stopped all voluntarily motor skills. He laid against Zack and let it happen to him. He eventually gathered enough brain cells to reach up and engage Zack in an open mouthed, lots of tongue kiss. Zack's free hand came up to cup Booth's chin and Booth let one of his hands mirror the action by cupping Zack's jaw.

Just when it looked like Zack was about to add another finger, and Booth was ready for that second finger, the squint withdrew. It startled Booth out of the kiss. "Zack?"

"You have work."

"I can be late one day." Seeley whispered back. "Come on, go back to what you were doing." He shifted a thigh in order to tempt his lover.

"You'll be sore and unable to explain it. No." Booth nipped at Zack's lips and cheek.

"Got a better idea?" Booth asked.

"You penetrate me." Zack said after a very deep breath. Booth blinked. "I don't have anything to do today so I can afford to be a little sore. You don't have that luxury."

"Zack, can you please not use words like 'penetrate'?" Zack looked at him with that squint stare of his.

"I feel uncomfortable with sexual colloquialisms. I'm always afraid that I'll use a term incorrectly and it'll ruin the sex act in the process or cause a socially awkward situation. Possibly both."

"You'd do that anyway."

"Would you rather I remain silent during our sexual intercourse?" Zack was curious, not upset, just curious. Booth thought about it for a few seconds.

"No." He ran his fingers through Zack's hair. "I don't want you holding back anything. Not from me, okay?" Zack smiled. Booth decided it was well worth his moment of thought. They kissed then Booth pulled up a little so that Zack would have the room to move if he wanted to. "You have to lead though, Zack. I don't really know what I'm doing here." Zack got a look of hard concentration on his face; the skin around his lips and eyes tightened and his fingers wrapped around Booth's wrist. "Zack?" Seeley felt something close to his hesitation from the night before. Zack raised an eyebrow and spoke in his typical work tone that was vaguely robotic.

"It's the same principles as preparing a woman. Just be gentle." Zack pulled a face. "It's be-It's been awhile since-and you're quite a bit bigger than Zerbrowski." Seeley nodded. Only Zack would be able to find a way to mention an ex-lover and have it not kill the mood immediately. He thumbed where Zack's hand on his wrist guided him to, reaching for the petroleum jelly on the nightstand with his free hand. Zack gasped, blinking at the ceiling.

Seeley warmed the gel with his fingers and replaced his thumb with a lubricated finger. Zack let his wrist go to grab at the pillowcase by his ear. "Seeley." Booth looked up at Zack's face. "More." A second finger joined the first at the command. Zack arched into the touch, his legs spreading open so that Seeley could push into him deeper. Zack went to touch himself only to have Seeley stop him and nuzzle the thatch of dark brown curls swathing his pelvis. Seeley took a deep breath, breathing in the musky scent then shyly licked the underside of Zack's erection. Zack nearly flew off the bed from the unexpected sensation. "Holy-!" he gasped. Encouraged Booth rolled Zack's scrotum in his free hand, starting to scissor the two fingers preparing the other man and, licked closer to the head of the appendage a little more confidently. Seeley decided he liked the moans and gasps that were coming from Zack and pulled his mouth around the tip of Zack's erection.

He immediately had to pull away because Zack thrust up into his mouth and nearly gagged him. Zack looked down at Booth with wide, startled eyes. "Sorry. I didn't mean to do that." Booth wiggled his fingers inside Zack and watched how Zack started to visibly strain to stay in some form of control. He eventually dropped his head back to the pillows and stared up at the ceiling. Seeley didn't pause though and another finger made its way next to the other two. Zack let out a whining gasp and Seeley decided he liked Zack this way…speechless. "Dammit, Seeley!" Okay, almost speechless…definitely inarticulate. "I'm not going to break and I would like to orgasm with you in me rather than just-just your fingers and will you please hurry up?" He babbled then gasped. His erection leaked fluid as exclamation to his point. Seeley was about to do as he was told until that little bit of fluid caught his attention. 'In for a penny, in for a pound' as his grandfather once said to him. He licked the drop that was slowly drooling down Zack's penis. He smacked his lips a little and looked at Zack.

The scientist's pupils had blow leaving only a thin ring of brown and a whole lot of black. It almost made Zack look otherworldly…or high. "Salty." Booth described. He leaned in for another taste but Zack's right palm on his forehead stopped him.

"Please, Seeley. If you do that again…I'm not going to last." Booth sat up to position himself and looked down at the squint. He grabbed Zack's right hand and kissed the inside of his wrist.

"You said that you took forever to cum." Seeley reminded.

"I also said that I didn't enjoy oral sex….you seem to enjoy proving me wrong." Seeley grinned at that.

"You know how to compliment a guy, Zack." Zack 'hmmed'.

"Are there any compliments I could give you that would get you to hurry up and penetrate me? Begging, possibly? Because I wasn't kidding when I said I was close." Seeley grinned again and reached for a condom.

"Patience is a virtue."

"It's a greatly taxed virtue…especially if you work with Hodgins and he's taking his sweet time cataloguing particulate evidence. Now hurry up!"

"Pushy."

"Yes. Agent Booth, please." Seeley got a hold of the condom package, ripped it open and rolled it on. Huh, he got a squint to beg. This counted as a good morning. He lined himself up and pushed in while saying

"It's _Seeley_, Zack." Zack responded by sticking his tongue out at Booth who thumped into him, hard. "Careful, you'll bite your tongue that way." Zack clenched around him and Booth was the one left gasping for breath. Zack did in again and Seeley withdrew part of the way only to push back in and have Zack squeeze again. They quickly built up a rhythm.

They were clinging to each other and very sweaty by the time they finished. Booth had collapsed on top of Zack which left the squint starting up over Booth's right shoulder at the ceiling. "Intentional sex is so different than sex that you're not expecting." Booth turned his face so he could look at his….lover? Huh, Zack _was_ his lover. Weird. A cool weird but still weird. It kinda made him happy in that goofy new relationship way.

"What makes you say that?"

"I don't know. Observation. I wasn't expecting the first two times we had sex and this time it sort of…I kinda woke up intending on having sex with you today. I'm not sure which way I prefer…more experiments will have to be in order." Booth did _not_ get a woody thinking about Zack's experiments to determine which kind of sex, intentional or unexpected, he preferred. After all, he finished not five minutes ago. Too soon.

"I will be glad to assist you with those experiments just not right now."

"I agree. You have to shower and get to work." Booth snuggled into Zack. "Seeley, go." There was a half-hearted push at his shoulder.

"I like it when you call me Seeley." Booth admitted.

"That's nice, Agent Booth, but I'm sure Dr. Brennan, the others, and not to mention the FBI would appreciate it if you didn't show up to work today smelling of sweat and semen." Booth wanted to be annoyed that Zack was right but he _was_ right.

"Fine." He sat up and took covers with him. He glanced down at Zack. The squint could use a shower himself. "Go out on a date with me?" Zack blinked up at him.

"No." That sent Booth reeling. It was abrupt and a little painful.

"Why not?"

"I'm a person of interest in a case you are investigating. It'd look bad if you were to go out with me on a date." Dammit. He was right again.

"Okay, after I solve the murders and prove you had nothing to do with either _then_ will you go out with me?" Zack considered it. Booth could tell because he held his head at a forty-five degree angle.

"Yes. Under those conditions it would be acceptable if you're-if you asked me out on a romantic date. But I'm paying for dessert."

"You are the dessert, Zack."

"And I'm going to put out because…?" Booth leaned in to kiss Zack. He pulled back and away and got out of bed to take a shower. "Oh. That's why. Mmm" Zack watched Booth's naked rear walk into the bathroom. "I don't know…" He raised his voice to be heard over the running of the shower. "I think you're more of a dessert then I am….I'm more of an appetizer." Booth stuck his head out of the bathroom.

"Did you just implicate that we'd be having sex before and after our date?"

"Possibly unintentionally. Hypothetically, if all goes to plan then yes."

"Huh." Booth thought about it. "I like the way you think, Zaddy." He went back into the bathroom as Zack laughed.

* * *

_**Author After Talk**_: School starts tomorrow…where'd my break go? Also, "Annie" is starting….GAH! (PS: this after talk is old, probably by the time I post the semester will have come and gone)

Tropic


	36. Chapter 36

_**The Face with Two Skeletons**_

_**by**_: Tropicwhale

_**disclaime**_r: Not my intellectual property except the intellectual property that is my ideas…like the plot points…if you are going to use them…let me know…I would like to know.

_**Author Talk**_: So about a year to when I last updated...sorry? At least I came back? I was lost at sea? Yeah. That's it. I was lost at sea...of papers. I GRADUATED COLLEGE! And made the Dean's list. I got to tell you...I'm a nerd and a freak. I've suffered from anxiety and depression and had straight D's throughout grade school. By every right, I shouldn't have beat the odds that I did. I should have been a statistic. But, if I can do it...in the last few weeks I've been called hot by a gorgeous guy and cool by a respected friend and was offered a job and am negotiating a possible internship at a puppetry theatre company (I had to email and ask about interning, it wasn't offered up on the website) in New York City. Now if only I can get my bloody room cleaned! None of it would have been possible if I hadn't been writing fanfiction and if complete strangers, that's you my little cashews, hadn't given me the confidence to keep going. It's only fitting, that in this next stage of my life I keep writing slash. Thank you.

* * *

**Chapter Thirty-Six**

Booth bounded into the lab and up the stairs, swiped his card, and said "Sorry, I had car trouble." Cam looked up, blinked and said

"Mm, so did Mr. Bray." Wendell looked up from the remains of Anne Zerbrowski.

"Must be something in the air" He said and immediately went back to what he was doing.

"My start plug was bad, Cam. I had to change it out."

"Seeley…we used to date. Please don't insult my intelligence. You don't even have grease under your nails." Before Seeley could reply to that statement Brennan hurried up the steps.

"Sorry, I had car trouble. Something about my start plug. I had to take a cab in." She was pulling on gloves and approaching the remains when Hodgins and Angela rushed in. "Have you discovered anything new about the remains, Mr. Bray?"

"No, not really. I just got started." Cam glared at Angela and Hodgins as they made their way up the stairs of the platform.

"Let me guess…car trouble?" Cam crossed her arms.

"Yep." Hodgins offered up that cocky innocent grin of his.

"It wouldn't start." Angela added.

"Is everyone having car trouble but me?" Cam threw her hands into the air.

"Definitely something in the air." Wendell reiterated. Temperance was confused.

"I really did have car trouble. Is the term 'car trouble' being used as a code for something I should be aware of?"

"No, Bones. Don't worry about it." Cam and Hodgins each gave Booth a look. Cam smiled and quickly looked away, approaching Wendell who was looking over Anne's skeleton for more clues. Hodgins glared at Booth as the federal agent talked in undertones to Bones. He ran his left hand through his hair and descended the steps to examine Olivia's trapezium bone. He pulled up a copy of her files from when she was inducted into Limbo on one of his computer screens. He placed the bone under an electric microscope that identified and categorized the particulate evidence into another hard drive. So many weeks working on this case and Hodgins had placed every single bone going under this very microscope and found not a single bit of useful particulate evidence. The twins' bones were almost too clean. Even Gormogon's victims had residue of the water that the bones were boiled in. That's it. The bones were boiled in distilled water that had been salted.

"Brennan! Booth!" The pair rushed over as did Cam. "The bones were boiled in salt water that was pre-_distilled_."

"So?" The fed asked. Hodgins rolled his eyes.

"So, it goes a long way in explaining why we haven't found anything as far as where the women were killed." Brennan explained. Booth froze. "Whoever debridled the skeletons had training in forensic sciences. Possibly forensic anthropology." Cam exchanged looks with Booth. "I hate to say it but it points to-"

"Don't say it." Booth said quickly.

"Booth, I hate to say but the evidence suggests-"

"No. There has to be another explanation. He was in Iraq when Olivia was murdered and he was with Zerbrowski around the time that Anne was killed. He alibis out. Hell, you have a whole class of graduate students that could strip the flesh from bone. Easily. Zack's innocent."

"Seeley, I'm right there with you. I don't want it to be Zack. If it was Zack, it'd break my heart but we have to consider the evidence. Perhaps he had a partner. He did have reason to want both women dead. After all one was the wife of his lover and the other was the mother of his slain first love." Cam said. Booth shook his head.

"If that were true why didn't he take the chance to kill Olivia when they both lived in Michigan? Why not kill Hector? And when did she move back to Alabama? We need to check records of any flights Zack took to either location." Angela had wandered over and put in her input.

"If he had a partner then there wouldn't be any flight records." Brennan said.

"But who would be willing to kill for Zack?" Hodgins asked.

"I would. You would. Cam definitely would." Angela put in.

"In a heart beat." Camile stated quietly.

"Robbie." Booth said. "Robbie would kill for Zack. He's army trained and hangs out with a forensic anthropologist, a chemical biology major and an EMT. He'd have an alibi and means to commit both murders. And cover them both up." Seeley paused, realizing what he just said. "Okay, that's enough. We are panicking because we have absolutely no evidence. We need to interview the Copperheads and anyone who last saw the twins. We have to figure out what Olivia and Anne were last seen doing; when each murder could have taken place and what happened in the interim. Where were the bodies kept before they came to us? Why were Olivia's remains returned to Hector and Anne's remains tossed out like garbage? We need to talk to that Santi guy about which dumpster he found Anne in and canvas the area. We need to narrow down the places where these women could have been killed. We've been snagged on this case for weeks because it revolves around one of our own, around Zack. It's making us sloppy. We still have two dead women and at least one or more murderer on the loose. Maybe the sisters met and one of them had an enemy we haven't found. If it is Zack or anyone that would kill for him we have to be sure. We can't afford to jump to any conclusions with this one." Booth started to walk out.

"Boot-" He turned on his heel and started to walk backwards.

"Come on, Bones. We've a lot of people to interview today."

"See if you can find any tissue samples." Cam said. "That would help a lot." Seeley saluted her and pulled Brennan out of the Jeffersonian.

The first place they stopped at was Robbie's house. Vivian answered the door. Booth flashed his badge this time. She opened the door wider and Brennan was introduced to Mrs. Ackhart. Vivian asked about the official visit. Brennan beat Booth to the punch and they were kicked out of the house. Booth got into the federally commissioned SUV and punched the wheel.

"Sorry. I didn't know that would happen."

"I should have warned you about her. She's very protective over both Zack and her husband."

"Then she could have been involved in the murders. We could bring her in on impeding a federal investigation." Booth leaned back against the headrest and growled then placed the car into drive.

"Yeah. All I really need to do is talk to Zack and get Robbie's cell number. He wants to help anyway he can. He gave me the number to his grandfather so I could call him to ask about Ms. Sarah Seville."

"Anything we can use?"

"He said that Olivia managed to track down her biological family but he blackballed her. She got no where near Sarah Seville."

"What's interesting is that her son and Zack had a relationship. They were fourth cousins. It was vaguely incestuous and goes a long way in explaining..."

"In explaining why her husband went postal on their son. Knowing that your son was having sex not only with a boy but with a member of the family? Drive any good ol' boy up the wall. It's weird the way these cases keep-"

"Circling Zack? Not to mention his apartment blowing up...how does that fit in with the murders?"

"I have no idea...it's almost like he's a target or the eye of the storm."

"This is an incredibly frustrating case." Brennan exhaled and rubbed her temple with a forefinger while resting her thumb on her chin.

"Yeah, no kidding."

"What's next?"

"Talk to Anne's massage therapist lover. He's working today."

"TO THE DAY SPA!" Booth glanced over at his partner. She had punched the air and held the pose. "No?" Booth shook his head. Brennan lowered her arm and brushed her hair out of her face.

An hour later they were safely ensconced in the manager's office of Maison De Recommencement with Jared Jensen, nickname J.J. and number 34 of the Georgetown Devils. JJ had turned a visitor's chair at the desk around to face the soft blue couch that Brennan and Booth had sat on. Even in the crisp white uniform of the spa he expounded the energy of an arrogant alpha athlete.

"Didn't we already go through this? I had a lot of affairs with my clients. They know what they like." He smiled at Brennan who was unaffected.

"We checked with your clients and your assistant. You only had an affair with Anne Zerbrowski." Brennan stated. "In fact one of your clients described the idea of sleeping with her masseuse to be repugnant."

"She was the only one to state that out loud, Bones."

"You think that the other women held the same idea?"

"Rich women, moneyed, with respected husbands. They might sleep around with the gardener or chauffeur but the male masseuse who touches dozens of women a day? That's not special. That's just being one of the crowd. They might flirt a little but if he ever made an overture they'd have his hide and his job." Booth didn't lose eye contact with the Devil. "You play on the Devils, don't you? Saw the Copperheads game a few weeks back."

"They should have been fouled for that end shot. It wasn't legal."

"And you tripping 17 and yelling 'shoot' when the kid took his foul shot was pure fair play." Booth said.

"You're a Copperheads fan."

"17 is her assistant." Booth stuck his thumb in Brennan's direction. JJ leaned back and crossed his ankle over his knee.

"I didn't know federal agents got assistants."

"I'm not a federal agent. I'm a forensic anthropologist."

"And a New York Times Best Selling Author." Booth said proudly.

"I thought you were too pretty to be a fed. Have you ever had a personal massage by a professional masseuse?" Booth suddenly desired a shower with a Brillopad.

"Now ask me what a forensic anthropologist does." Sometimes Booth really loved having a smart partner."

"Oookay. What does a forensic anthropologist do?"

"I identify skeletal remains."

"Skeletal remains?" JJ looked shocked.

"Sometime they're still juicy. With tissue still attached." Booth added. "Anne Zerbrowski didn't have that luxury. She was just a skeleton." JJ shifted. "We need to ask you again…when did you last see Mrs. Zerbrowski?"

"We should probably tell you that you are a suspect." Brennan added. "After all, jealousy definitely has played a part in our investigations before." JJ ran his hand over his face.

"Then maybe you should look at James Zerbrowski. After all, he and your little assistant were making out before the game started…or do you not remember that, Agent Booth?"

"We were aware that Zack and Zerbrowski were having an affair and we're investigating that line of inquiry. When was the last time you saw Anne Zerbrowski?" Booth brushed away the comment.

"The seventh of May. She was suppose to stay here for three weeks but left early."

"Why? Did you talk about it?"

"I confronted her about her husband's affair the day before."

"And what was her reaction?"

"She left the next day."

"That's it? She didn't seem to be angry or in shock?"

"Nope."

"How did you know about her husband's affair?"

"Didn't I just tell you? They were making out at the game."

"That game was on the tenth." Brennan said. Booth looked at her. "I was looking at my calendar when I was on the phone with you. Remember, I called you the Saturday before Anne's body was found and you were on your way to the basketball game. We were talking about it Monday when Zack identified Anne's picture."

"That's right." Booth turned back to JJ. "Caught you in a lie. This is the second time you've lied to me. I should remind you that lying to a federal officer is a felony….it's also impeding my investigation-"

"Which is also a felony." Brennan interjected.

"Not to mention pissing me off. You lie to me again and you'll find yourself being delivered your Miranda rights and in a holding cell by dusk."

"Now how about the truth." Brennan pointed threateningly at JJ. Booth furrowed his brow and looked at her. She looked at him and at JJ looking at her like a loon. She lowered her finger and straightened up. "Sorry. I got carried away." She cleared her throat and Booth just had to smile at his quirky partner.

"Mr. Jensen, how did you find out about Zack and James Zerbrowski's affair and why did you decide to tell Anne?" JJ straightened. He had been out alpha-ed and he knew it.

"She was rich. Did you know that?"

"Yes."

"She…she was a little bit older than I am."

"She was a cougar." Brennan looked at Booth for an explanation "An older woman who only dates much younger men." Brennan nodded slowly to show she understood. "And you thought by showing her that she was stuck in a loveless marriage she would leave James for you and you'd be set for life."

"Yeah."

"So how did you find out about James and Zack?" JJ shifted in his seat. "Mr. Jensen?"

"I was emailed pictures of them having sex. The email suggested that perhaps Anne would like to know that her husband was a lying homosexual scum bag."

"Did you save the email address?"

"It was from one of those fifteen minute email sites."

"Did you save the email with the sex pictures on it?" JJ nodded. "I would like a copy of it." Booth pointed at the computer at the desk.

"I don't…only the manager has the password to that computer." Booth stood and left the room, returning a few minutes later with the manager. The manager was a red-headed bombshell of a woman who was very helpful toward Booth's requests. He didn't really take notice, choosing instead to focus on her turning on the computer and JJ accessing his personal account. Booth borrowed a pen and a piece of paper and wrote down the email address and forwarded the email to his work account for his files, the tech squints at the FBI to trace the email, and Brennan's account as well.

"Bones, I'm sending this to you as well as a back up."

"Okay." Booth flinched at the five high resolution pictures of Zack and Zerbrowski having sex in various positions. "Are you okay, Booth?" Seeley thought fast.

"More of Mr. Dr. Zack Addy than I ever wanted to see. Not to mention James Zerbrowski. I hate when we come across sex pictures. I really don't care what you do in the bedroom but I really don't want to see photographic evidence of it." The bombshell manager was looking over his shoulder. She tilted her head.

"I didn't know that position was possible." She laughed and touched Booth on the arm. "You ever try it?"

"Ma'am, not while I'm on the job." She pulled back her arm like she was burned.

"Sorry."

"That's fine. We're done here. Come on, Bones. Mr. Jensen, we'll be in touch." Brennan stood and they left.

Once they were in the car and about fifteen minutes away Brennan turned to Booth "What was that?"

"What was what?" Booth's eyes never left the road.

"The poor girl clearly was attracted to you and I've never seen you shut down someone like that ever. Except someone we were absolutely sure was the murderer. What is going on with you?"

"I-she…I was looking at a picture of Zack in missionary position with Zerbrowski."

"The missionary position is one of the most commonly used sexual positions. If she was at all sexually active she would have engaged in it at some point."

"I know that, Bones."

"So you reacting unfavorably toward her-"

"Bones, we need to figure out who sent Jared Jensen those pictures."

"They were clearly trying to get the Zerbrowski's to break up."

"And before it came to fruition they kill Anne? And what about Olivia?"

"Are we sure the two murders are connected? The only things they have in common were a connection to Zack, killed in the same way and debridled the same way."

"Too much connection to be coincidence, Bones."

"Yes. But we should look at them as separate cases. Look at each woman individually and any connection they have should be apparent in any overlap of the cases." Booth exhaled. "You were right this morning. We have been all caught up in the fact that Zack knew both victims and he was almost blown up, held at gun point, and had something to gain from these murders. We need to look at this logically. Anne Zerbrowski was suppose to stay at the spa for three weeks, she stayed for three days, leaving after her lover showed her pictures of her husband in sexual congress with another man."

"After which she disappeared, her bones being discovered in a dumpster at a state college and turned into a thesis which was called in Monday."

"There is a discrepancy in Micheal Santi's story in that he said he was working on the sculpture all semester." Bones pointed out.

"He could have been drawing sketches and those wings had to take some work. How quickly does that paint rust?"

"Hodgins got a sample of it and he and Angela found that it rusts fairly quickly, a few days in wet weather."

"It had rained that Sunday into early Monday morning."

"It had waaay too much rust on it for just a day, Bones."

"Perhaps Santi rusted the bolts and the wings before he added the bones? Also, if he placed the entire sculpture into a kiln the glaze would have protected the bones but would have dried out the metal."

"Jumpstarting the oxidation process."

"Correct. Hodgins also said that the paint had high qualities of copper and iron filings in it. Each filing rusts on an individual scale."

"So it's possible that he could have gotten the job done in a few days."

"Yes. When I was in college I remember working for whole weekends with very little sleep or breaks toward the end of the semester. Also, the removing the flesh from bone by process of boiling takes only a few hours."

"So sometime between Wednesday and Friday Anne was abducted, shot in the chest with a shot gun using birdshot at close range, her bones stripped and dumped into the dumpster at the college."

"The spa is halfway between the dumping spot and her home." Brennan said.

"So what if she drove that direction instead of toward her cheating husband."

"What's in that area for her though? She doesn't have any family left. No one to console her or council her in a time of personal crisis; her entire life was in the other direction." Booth glanced over at her.

"Bones, her parents are buried about five miles north of that university. She went to visit them and think. I bet you we will find her car at the cemetery." He turned the car around at the nearest stop light and drove in the direction of the university. He called forensics to meet them there. "Okay. Now that that's done more or less finished….Olivia."

"Olivia was a fugitive. On the run and had made a life as a homemaker wife to a sheriff."

"She disappeared and her bones returned to her husband. Hector panicked and forged papers saying she was a half a century old Jane Doe and sent it to the nearest university."

"Why were her bones returned to her family and Anne's were dumped out?"

"Olivia died first…and then the killer came to DC where they saw a woman bearing a resemblance to her twin sister, the killer panicked and murdered her a second time."

"So we might be dealing with a serial killer?"

"Nah, a serial killer would be more organized than this. Why would someone want to kill Olivia Oscarman?"

"Or Olivia Riley."

"That makes sense."

"Huh?"

"Someone kills the sheriff's wife and moves seven hundred miles away, to get out of dodge."

"I would have left the country."

"They had something in DC. Something worth coming here for."

"Yes but what?"

* * *

_**Author After Talk**_: So, I figured out what the external plot of the sequel to "The Face with Two Skeletons" entitled "The Squint in the Affair". Playing soon.

Tropic


	37. Chapter 37

**_The Face With Two Skeletons_**

_**by**_: Tropicwhale

_**Disclaimer**_: Not mine. Legit. Not mine.

_**Author Talk**_: I'm still mostly focused on "Midnight" (only two or three chapters left in that) but I want finish this fic so I can get to the sequel; "The Squint in the Affair". Squirrels and nuts, my little cashews!

* * *

**Chapter Thirty-Seven**

After Booth was secured in his shower Zack went back to sleep. He awoke briefly when he heard the door click close, leaving the apartment in a blissful silence. The next time he woke it was close to noon. He rolled out of bed, falling in an ungainly clump with blankets and pillows on the floor. He groaned as he hit the floor. It took a minute or two to disentangle from the mess then he made the bed. He took a nice long shower and dressed in a pair of Booth's sweat pants and made himself a late brunch. He ate, ran the dishwasher, and started to vacuum the apartment. It was all very domestic and every few minutes or so he had a flashback to earlier that morning. At one point in his vacuuming he had such a strong flashback that he had to turn off the vacuum cleaner and lean against the wall. His mind narrowed into the visual of Booth hovering over Zack's body pushing into him repeatedly, making him feel so full that his breath caught in his throat. He had felt like he was drowning and all because of Special Agent Seeley Booth of the Federal Bureau of Investigations.

Zack's hand inched toward his waistband. As a general rule he didn't like to engage in masturbation, it always seemed so contrived and vaguely offensive like someone was watching him and disapproving. Of course that was illogical unless one was to engage in masturbation as part of foreplay with a partner. Zerbrowski always took great pleasure in watching Zack touch himself. He liked the selfish and voyeur aspects of the view. Bradley had not. Bradley always enjoyed being the one to give Zack pleasure, claiming that having sex was about an quest together. Bradley had said that sexual congress was a partnering to find out what pleasures the other person and not about people seeking out only their own pleasure, it was not a selfish act. Zack was not sure which category Booth would fall under but Zack shivered at the opposing images of Seeley watching him touch himself and of Seeley touching him. Zack inhaled sharply, suddenly feeling light-headed, and the movement of his hand was arrested. He took a few calming breathes, his hand continuing its journey toward his groin and growing arousal. Zack's other hand clench around the vacuum cleaner's handle and he forced himself to remove it. If he was going to engage in masturbation he would not do so clinging to a household appliance. He already felt shameful enough engaging in the act of self-pleasuring in the hallway of Seeley Booth's apartment. Perhaps he should go back to the bedroom? He hadn't thrown the sheets into the washer yet. There would be olfactory evidence of their early morning activities which could only aide in the act itself. Of course the thought of those sheets and that selfsame olfactory evidence only heightened Zack's arousal.

Why was it that everything about Seeley Booth had Zack almost perpetually sexually aroused by his presence in reality or within Zack's thought processes? His physical attraction aside Booth made Zack feel safe and just a little bit selfishly happy. He could almost bring himself not to care about Anne and Mrs. Oscarmann's murders or his apartment blowing up. If none of those things had happened he would not be staying with Agent Booth right now, engaging in almost regular sexual intercourse. He could see himself staying here, keeping house for Booth; never needing to go back to the lab or exercise his intellect ever again. He could see himself curled next to Seeley, watching television having already cleaned up a dinner Zack had made for them. Of course if he had mentioned this feeling to either Hodgins or any of the Copperheads he would have been accused of having the relationship tendencies of a human female. Zack was better off leaving that tidbit to himself.

Then there was the physical attraction. The way Seeley smiled at Zack sent Zack's heart thumping against his ribcage. Seeley's laugh caused gooseflesh all over Zack's arms and back. Booth's kissing him made Zack want to orgasm. Everything he had thought arbitrary and a little bizarre about the sexual experience suddenly made sense to him in the context of doing it with Seeley. Perhaps it would be the same with masturbation? If that was the case then an experiment would be in order. As Zack understood it masturbation usually commenced with a sexual fantasy. Okay, in the context of this experiment the fantasy would have to focus on Seeley. Seeley naked would be an acceptable start. That was where Zack's imagination failed him. All he had as a reference was his own sexually experiences with Seeley as a measure for the fantasy. Perhaps start with something small and move into the hardcore sex? Booth naked and kissing Zack. Zack's heartbeat temporarily fibrillated and he felt a flush of arousal. That worked. Seeley's fingertips running down his sides. Zack's heart beat faster. Seeley kissing his neck, pressing their groins together. Zack's fingertips dipped between his skin and the fabric of his pants, his breathing shallow and rapid. Seeley grabbing Zack's gluteus maximus major and pressing him against the wall. Zack closed his eyes in order to aide in the visualization part of the masturbation experiment. Seeley biting his neck. Zack groaned at the sensory memory, his arousal growing, his fingers sliding deeper into his borrowed sweat pants. Seeley slipping to his knees, his fingers hooking into the elastic waistband of the trousers. Seeley smiling up at Zack as he pulled the pants down to about an inch above Zack's knees, effectively limiting Zack's mobility. Zack licked his dry lips, trying to suck down more air into his lungs. Seeley's hand closing around Zack's-

THUMP THUMP KNOCK

There was someone at the door. Zack immediately pulled himself together, snatching his hand away his waist. There was another pounding at the door and Zack unlocked it, yanking it open to reveal Dr. Jack Hodgins. Zack exhaled. His masturbation experiment would have to wait until after Hodgins left. There was no way he was going to share this particular experiment with his best friend.

"Hey there buddy." Hodgins held up a plain brown paper bag that had greasy stains on the bottom. "Chinese? I got your favorite, chicken and broccoli. It's from Sid's."

"Hodgins, what are you doing here?"

"Funny thing happened today. I realized that you and I haven't hung out since this whole mess started and that the last time we really talk I was sort of a jerk. Can I come in? Great." Hodgins easily pushed his way past Zack and into Booth's apartment. "Wow, this place is a lot smaller than I thought it would be. Aren't FBI guys like top rung on the whole public service shtick? You'd think he'd have a nicer place…or at least bigger." Zack shut the door, resigning himself to Hodgins' presence.

"Booth pays child support for Parker…which includes a nanny because Rebecca works. A lot of his paycheck gets funneled toward his son and rent." Hodgins froze.

"Oh, yeah. Forgot about that."

"Not to mention the rent rates in DC are really high…it's one of the main reasons I live in the apartment above your garage…or at least I used to."

"And will again." Hodgins said. "The rebuilding is going along nicely, by the way. You are going to get multiple rooms…like the place had when you first moved in. Of course, this contractor is going a lot slower because the FBI bum squad keeps claiming stuff as evidence. It's really a headache. You're lucky you don't have to deal with it."

"I am sure it is. I am glad I don't have to deal with it because of my non-existent social skills." Zack stood there and blinked at Hodgins.

"Dude, come on. Are you going to stay mad at me forever?"

"I'm not going to live forever, Hodgins, so staying mad forever would be as close to impossible as statistically feasible. Also, I'm not angry with you. Frankly, I haven't thought about our last conversation since I stormed out of Dr. Brennan's office and got stuck in Limbo for fifteen hours and twelve minutes. I've had other things to worry about like the fact I'm still a suspect in a double homicide and still homeless among other problems. I don't expect Booth's hospitality to last forever." Hodgins flinched at Zack's straightforward and mechanical tone. Either Zack was angry at him or he just interrupted the kid's 'personal time'. Hodgins spent a split second considering whether or not Zack Addy was capable of masturbation. After all, Zack was a human male in his mid-twenties. Even the most cerebral of dudes shook hands with himself at some point and it wasn't like Zack had anything better to do at this point in time. On the other hand Zack was _Zack_. The kid was so innocent that he still asked questions about sex at twenty-five. He might not see the point in masturbation the same way he didn't see the point in salivating over smoking hot movie stars and mostly naked models airbrushed into perfection one could find in Playboy because, according to Zack, why would anyone find someone whom they never actually met sexually attractive when there were plenty of humans that were much more viable options. Hodgins failed to explain the logic of the sexiness found in the unattainability concept to Dr. Zack Addy. What would be a natural right to a normal man Zack's age the little guy probably thought was arbitrary and bizarre. Hodgins attempted to imagine Zack slapping the monkey and just couldn't do it. What would he even use as material? Knowing Zack the fantasy portion would most likely focus on something like advanced Calculus formulae. r(T) = r(t0) + T v(t0), or something like it, would turn him on. It was not as if Zack was the most physical of people "Hodgins?" Hodgins snapped out of his thought processes.

"Sorry man, I- nevermind, I was- it was a thought about the case-there's a weird thing going on with the- my area of expertise. It's hard to be King of the Lab when I got nothing to go on, ya'know?" Zack looked completely nonplussed and Jack really didn't want to exactly explain where his mind had been gathering wool. "Chinese?"

"Actually I've already eaten although I suppose I can sit and hang out with you while you eat. Let me get a shirt on." Zack walked back into Booth's bedroom and grabbed a blue tee shirt he metaphorically swam in. The sleeves went down to his elbows. He came back out and Jack looked at him like he had literally grown a second head. "What?"

"You are wearing Booth's clothes?" The shirt had a logo stating "Everyone's Favorite FBI Agent", and on the back it read "Agent of Female Body Investigating". Booth had worn it last Saturday with a blue button-down over top of it so no one could read the back. Zack shrugged.

"Most of my clothes were blown up in the apartment and the ones that weren't are being kept as evidence by the FBI. I have exactly one pair of pants, shoes and a shirt left. Luckily, Booth bought me some socks when my last pair got really worn out. Right now my pants and shirt are in the dryer. Booth doesn't mind and it's not like I have anywhere to go."

"Right. I knew that." Hodgins unpacked the Chinese food and tucked into his General Tso's chicken and shrimp fried rice "Zack, do you think people can be quantifiable?"

"Yes."

"Really?"

"Yes. When they are deceased and I can examine their bones there is always evidence of their lives that are observable, irrefutable."

"Yeah, I meant when they are alive, Zack."

"I am not good with people, Hodgins."

"Yeah, but just because you can't figure them out doesn't mean that other people are equally incapable."

"That is sound logic. Agent Booth and Dr. Brennan figure out people's motives all the time. As does Angela, Cam, Robbie, and Ms. Julian."

"I didn't mean criminals. I meant normal people, Zack."

"Define normal."

"People who don't kill other people."

"Is that in the context of this conversation or in general?" Hodgins found himself getting frustrated with his best friend.

"In the context of this conversation."

"So does that make this a debate?"

"It makes it a conversation."

"Why do you sound like you are getting upset?"

"Because I am. With you."

"Why am I upsetting you?"

"You're just being you."

"Why does being myself make you upset?"

"Dammit Zack! You're like a little kid. You're asking all these questions and it's getting us –getting me off track."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be myself. It's just that I don't know how to be anyone else." Hodgins felt like a heel. He felt a grade 'A' heel.

"Zack." he started and froze. "I didn't mean it like that."

"Then how did you mean it?"

"I just…I don't know. I guess I was…it was an emotional response…the evidence in the case keeps pointing to you and it's really upsetting thinking of you as a suspect."

"I don't think it's possible to fully understand anyone on an empirical level. People just have too many variables."

"So you believe that you can know someone for awhile and they can still surprise you?"

"Yes." Zack tilted his head at Hodgins. "Hodgins, is everything okay with you and Angela?"

"What? Yeah. Why do you ask that?"

"Because you are wondering about someone you have known for awhile and they are still surprising you."

"Dude! I was talking about you!"

"Oh. I didn't realize that."

"Yeah, no kidding." Zack looked like his giant brain was kicking into overdrive.

"I didn't kill either of them."

"I know. I believe you." There was a quarter of an hour of silence and Hodgins eating. "So, no clothes, huh?"

"Yep."

"You could call Angela and she'd probably take you shopping."

"I don't have enough money to replace my entire wardrobe, Hodgins. This is fine for now." Hodgins shifted.

"I could pay for it. You and Ang' could go hog wild with the shopping."

"I am not interested, Hodgins."

"Zack, I'm only trying to help you out."

"I told you before I don't need help."

"Zack-"

"Are you offering to buy me clothes because you are my friend and want to help me out or because you feel guilty from leaving me temporarily homeless after my apartment blew up as well as not realizing I'm bisexual or could have a social life outside of our experiments together?"

"I! Wha-? I'm not that shallow."

"You could have taken exception to the fact that I was bisexual or the fact I was having an affair with a married man whose wife ended up in our lab but you took offense at the fact I play basketball."

"With a lawyer."

"A public defense lawyer. And how did you know that Zerbrowski was a lawyer?"

"Hello, you said it."

"No. I said Anne Zerbrowski and that I play basketball with and have an affair with her husband. You were the one that asked 'Since when do you play basketball with a lawyer?' before anyone mentioned what Zerbrowski did."

"I-"

"Did you have me investigated, Hodgins?"

"Zack…"

"You did."

"You were moving into my property. I had to do a background check."

"I see."

"Zack."

"Did you know about what happened to me in Michigan?" Hodgins put down his container of Chinese food and folded his hands.

"Some of it."

"So you already knew about my interest in men."

"Yeah."

"And I didn't join the Copperheads until after I moved in with you which explains why that is what surprised you."

"Zack." Hodgins took a deep breath. "Angela said that you could move in with us until the apartment is ready." Zack squinted at Hodgins.

"Why tell me now? Why didn't Angela come with you to ask?"

"She's having lunch with Brennan. Girl time." Hodgins gave a grin that Zack took to mean something vaguely sexual.

"Why do I feel the impulse to tell you that statement was inappropriate?"

"I don't know, Zack." If anything Hodgins' grin just widened. "You did just admit that you have difficulty understanding people."

"That's true." Zack did not look convinced In fact, he looked fairly confused.

"So, what do you say? Come move in with Angela and me?"

* * *

_**Author After Talk**_: Okay during the interim I was continuing to write off and on but I didn't want to post because A) the majority of the chapters coming up are cliff-hangers and I don't want to be responsible for a bunch of fatal coronaries and heart attacks occurring during long periods of non-posting (after all, who would read my fic?) and B) I wanted to finish this other difficult to write fic first because if I don't finish it now it'll never get done. C) I also want to figure out the external action plot for "Skeletons" sequel "The Squint in the Affair" and D) I kind of am in love with "Skeletons" and don't want it to end but at the same time I know I need to finish it. There, I admit it; I don't want it to end. There is more coming, I promise, and the fact people keep tells me that I can't just hide in my dark corner of the world and stroke the last few chapters, keeping them to myself, croon them to sleep….was that half as creepy as I think it was? You people just are so insisting! Love you anyway, from a healthy distance.

Love from the Dorkside;

Tropic


	38. Chapter 38

_**The Face with Two Skeletons**_

**_by_**: Tropicwhale

**_disclaimer_**: This story is based off a show that isn't my property and I'm not making money off the story no matter how popular it has/will become.

_**Author Talk**_: I'm not dead yet! I don't think.

* * *

**Chapter Thirty-Eight**

Brennan and Booth make it to the cemetery in Howard County to find that the forensic team had beaten them to it and had located Anne Zerbrowski's car. The backseat was drenched in blood, flies and maggots. The car was tucked away in a back corner of the cemetery next to what, upon inspection, turned out to be a family plot with attached mausoleum. "Catch as many flies and maggots as possible, and also I'll need the tires, the back seat and the air filter sent to the Jeffersonian. Dr. Hodgins will be able to pinpoint time of death much more quickly as well as be able to retrace Anne's last hours. The FBI can have the rest of the car." Brennan took charge and Booth made a hand motion to the other federal agents to listen to her. The head forensic nodded and the forensic team swarmed the car. "We should look at the mausoleum. See if there are any more clues there."

"Yeah, lets' do it. Someone find me the groundskeeper or something" Booth shouted out and followed Brennan to the mausoleum. They found more blood and a pitted brass plaque at the back of the building. Booth ducked his head out of the door and hollered for forensics and ballistics.

"I'm going to need that name plate to compare the radius of the damage to the skeletons. Make sure that this is where Anne was killed and we might be able to narrow down the caliber of the gun used." Booth looked at the pitting on the brass plate.

"See that ring? It was a rifled shotgun."

"As opposed to-?"

"A smoothbore barrel. The rifled barrel is great for shoot slugs but not for firing shot."

"So did the killer know this?" Brennen was kneeling at the edge of the blood at the base of the wall. There was a streak of blood from where she was kneeling to the door.

"Someone who knows how to fire a gun but doesn't know enough about the ammunition would knock out Hector Oscarmann as Anne's killer."

"Which throws us back to square one."

"Yup. As far as we can tell Anne was kneeling or sitting there. The killer comes up behind her and pow. Blows her away." Booth cocks his fingers like he's firing a gun and then pulls out his notepad and a pen.

"And then drags her out to her car and throws her into the back seat."

"Why though? He shot her and then stuffed her into the back seat where she bled out."

"Then what? Why wasn't the car towed and reported earlier?" A police officer pops his head into the crypt.

"Agent Booth? The groundskeeper is here." Booth nodded and followed him out into the sunshine. Brennan stayed behind and examined the plate that was pockmarked by shot fragments and then she noticed something. She stood and walked briskly out to Booth who was talking to the groundskeeper, diligently taking notes. She knew his note-taking was for show. Booth had a brilliant memory and never forgot anything pertaining to an open case but found that taking notes help people open up to him more. Brennan appreciated that little bit of white lying from her partner.

"Booth? I found a fingerprint." Booth stopped in mid-question and looked at her.

"Are you sure."

"Yes, it's a clear thumbprint of the left hand."

"How do you know that it's the left hand?"

"Because of where it is and where I was."

"Will you excuse me for a second?" Booth asked the groundskeeper. The man nodded and the pair darted back into the crypt.

"See? I was kneeling here." She knelt careful to stay clear of the blood to avoid tainting the evidence. "And I started to fall forward and I went to balance myself with my left hand on the wall. And I saw it." She pointed the thumbprint in the blood splatter on the wall. It was an inch from her own. "The killer must have paused and looked at Anne's body before he dragged her to the car.

"Finally a break to this case! We can compare the thumbprint to everyone involved in the case…including Zack."

"This proves, at the very least, that he wasn't here when she died. He would never be dumb enough to leave a fingerprint. He couldn't have killed Olivia…"

"And he wasn't here when Anne died…"

"Zack didn't do it."

"I knew that."

"I know. I just wanted to say it out loud. I am very excited about this fingerprint."

"That mean the FBI gets the plate before the Jeffersonian?"

"No. Lift the fingerprint here and send the plaque to the Jeffersonian."

"I figured." He didn't know why he ever asked.

LINE BREAK***

Booth and Brennan decided to continue working through lunch due to the wonderful lead of the thumbprint of the left hand of their killer which meant they need two things. First they needed Booth's office computer with access to FBI files and two, they needed food. They solved both by getting carry-out from the Diner and set to work and lunch in Booth's office at FBI headquarters. Forensics had lifted the bloody print under Brennan's henpecking eye perfectly and preserved it between two slices of what looked like stiff plastic wrap. At least that's what Booth thought it looked like and he wasn't about to ask what it was exactly under the fear and suspicion he would get a squinty answer that he didn't want to listen to when all he needed was the thumbprint. He had the forensics team process the print first and scanning it into the computer so Booth could compare it to all the thumbprint he had so far. Anne's was first thanks to a DUI three years ago and to discount her as the owner right away. Hector Oscarmann and James Zerbrowski were next. Then, after Booth took a bite of his cheeseburger for fortification, he ran Zack's prints. Then he ran Jared Jensen's prints and Sarah Seville's. There were no matches. Brennan didn't believe him so he ran all the prints a second time. She pouted the second time around. It was actually kind of cute.

"What the hell?" Brennan asked loudly. Booth flinched. He was glad he had shut the door. "So we went from possibly having a lead to having no leads? That's not fair."

"That's how it goes sometimes, Bones." Booth leaned back on his chair. "Sometimes you think you're an inch from breaking the case and bam!" He clapped his hands "Square one." The wheels on his chair slid and he feel backwards an inch from slamming his head on the cabinet behind his desk. "Ow." Seeley rolled out of the wreak behind his desk. Brennan was on her feet, trying not to laugh.

"Are you okay?" She asked, her eyes wide as he stood.

"Yeah. Well, ow." Seeley's back twinged. He froze, placing a hand carefully on the edge of his desk. He breathed carefully as Brennan came around the side of the desk. She righted the chair and touched his elbow. He attempted to straighten and immediately regretted it.

"Do you want me to straighten your spine?"

"Um…" Seeley considered it. It was a good idea. "Yeah." He slowly straightened up and crossed his arms the way Brennan had taught him. She came around his back and wrapped her arms around him and bent him backward and there was an audible crack as his back realigned. The pain was gone and Booth exhaled. "You'd think I'd be smarter than that to lean back on a chair like that. I've probably told Parker a hundred times not to do it."

"At least he gets the tendency honestly through genetics." Booth tilted his head and looked at his partner.

"There are times where I wonder why I work with you."

"You work with me, Booth, because I am the best in my field. I read bones the way you read people and am a statistical balance to your intuitive nature. Also, I can fix your back."

"Very logical, Bones." She smiled. She knew she won. Women always know when they win, even if they don't know that they're fighting. Brennan went back to her seat across the desk and her salad. Booth carefully sat down and picked up a French fry. "Okay. So now that we can't get any further with Anne until the lab test come back and that plate is delivered to the Jeffersonian which should be sometime this afternoon which case do you want to focus on? The bombing of Zack's apartment or Olivia's case?"

"Um, Zack's apartment. I'm more emotionally invested in that than Olivia's murder I'm almost ashamed to say." Brennan stated between bites of food. "Did the bomb squad figure out anything?"

"Don't be. This guy attacked two of our own. It's personal. As far as the device goes, the bomb squad can tell there were multiple explosives hooked into a cell phone as a trigger."

"A cell phone?"

"Yeah, apparently it was rigged to go off on an alarm setting or possibly an incoming call." Booth liked it when he knew something Brennan didn't. It made him feel smart.

"So it's possible that the bomber was in the area and had seen Zack and Angela pull into the driveway?"

"Very possible."

"But why Zack? Why not go for the main house and get Hodgins as well and why not wait for Zack to be in the apartment before blowing it up?"

"I don't know. Why not blow up you or me? We're the ones investigating the murders. Zack's an assistant." Brennan said.

"Except Zack has something to gain if Anne's dead and he had reasons to want Olivia dead as well."

"See that's what I don't get…why kill Olivia? Why not go straight for the man that killed Zack's boyfriend? And I thought that we were focusing on the explosion?" Brennan redirected the conversation back on track. It didn't help that they were focusing on the 'Zack angle' of the case and it was giving them all a bad case of tunnel vision. Booth shook his head.

"We were. Sorry, I got distracted. So, Anne's body is discovered and identified and then Zack's house is blown up."

"What if Zack nor Anne was the target. What if Zerbrowski was?"

"How do you mean?"

"He was completely broken up when I went to see him."

"When you told him about his wife's death?" Opps. That was a slip of the tongue if there ever was one. Booth thought fast.

"No…I went back…I wanted some information about Zack and thought it be best to try and get it with as few people knowing as possible. It was fairly personal and I didn't want to put you through any stress just in case he started bad-mouthing Zack again."

"Again?"

"When Zack and I went to tell him about Anne Zerbrowski started ranting about how Zack wasn't worth killing for and stuff like that. It really broke Zack up. If Zerbrowski started in on stuff like that in front of you I didn't want you to haul off and punch him like I wanted to. The guy's a lawyer and I didn't need him suing you over assault charges."

"That's fair and not to mention very logical of you. I probably would have punched him. I did not like that man."

"Neither do I. I can't see how Zack could have slept with him."

"No better prospects?" Brennan postulated.

"Maybe. Zack still deserves better. Anyway, when I went back Zerbrowski was drunk off his ass and ranting about how his firm dumped him and his life was in shambles because the two people he cared about the most were gone."

"Gone?"

"He dumped Zack. Anyway…if the point of the bombing was to get Zack to break up with Zerbrowski after Anne was dead…it left Zerbrowski completely alone." Booth swiveled back and forth in his chair. He didn't like to be still for so long.

"I see. The target could have been Zerbrowski…a revenge sort of thing. We should look into that. After lunch." Brennan popped an olive into her mouth with a grin to prove her point.

"Now, what about Olivia?" Booth started to lean back on his chair but thought better of it. He shouldn't push his luck twice. Falling off a chair was not like a lightening strike...it could happen to a person more than once.

"She was on the run, assumed a false identity, disappeared and her bones were left on her porch in a cardboard box."

"That's incredibly personal. Both women were incredibly personal kills. Shot to the chest, close to point blank range with birdshot. The fact that the killer made the point to get Olivia back to Hector but didn't make the same attempt with Anne and James indicates a connection to the Oscarmanns more so than the Zerbrowskis." Booth started tapping his fingers on his desk. God, he was antsy today. One would think with all the sex he's had in the last twenty-four hours would have calmed him down.

"Is it possible that the killer followed Olivia's bones to D.C?" Brennan asked.

"Kinda like stalking her even after he killed her?"

"Yes. If the killer gave back Olivia to her husband maybe even hoping to expose Hector for the liar that he was but he foists off the remains as a Jane Doe." Brennan really got into her tale. Booth took a moment to smile. Usually it was Seeley coming up with the story behind the murders. "This frustrates the killer and he tracks the bones up to the Jeffersonian because the murder isn't being given recognition."

"Where he encounters Zack playing with his masterpiece, trying to figure out who she was."

"He stalks Zack and sees a woman who is identical to Olivia."

"He wonders 'how is she alive' and goes after her and the man who she is married to in every way possible because whoever this woman is married to deserves to suffer, which includes trying to kill the man with whom the husband is having an affair." Something wasn't sitting with Booth right about the story. Something was missing or off. It just might be his grammar; it got better after hanging around Brennan for so long. Sometimes he listened to himself speak and it threw him.

"But why send Anne's boyfriend the pictures of the affair?" Brennan drew out the word 'why' and balled up her napkin in one hand.

"Control. Our killer wanted her to leave the spa and kill her before she got home so when she went to the graveyard instead of going directly to confront her husband it was just a really great moment to kill her. Opportunity plus motive. equals a dead Anne." Booth played with a french fry with one finger. He was too involved with the story to eat.

"Do you think he was planning on waiting to see how the realization was going to affect Zerbrowkski?"

"Yeah but why didn't he send proof of her affair to Zerbrowski? Why the one way?" Seeley was still trying to figure out what wasn't fitting. There was something. He just couldn't lay his finger on it.

"Maybe the killer knew the Zerbrowski didn't care that his wife was sleeping with another man because Zerbrowski was sleeping with another man as well-"

"-which is the bigger lie." Booth finished. The killer had something against liars. But why? And what set him off?

"Exactly."

"But why? What did James Zerbrowski do that-"

"Not Zerbrowski…Hector…Hector Oscarmann killed his own son and then escaped from prison, forged papers, and impersonated a police officer." Brennan got excited.

"That's a long list of crimes and a lot of them include lying. So we need to figure out which one set our killer off and who he is."

"Yep."

LINE BREAK*************

Zack looked at Hodgins. What was Jack getting at? Asking him to move in with him and Angela now was illogical. Zack had a place to stay. Something in the situation must have changed according to Jack's perception. "No, I'm staying here with Booth."

"What?" Hodgins was incredulous. Zack was turning down staying with his friends in order to hang out with Booth some more? Booth hated him.

"I said no. I am staying here with Agent Booth. I feel safe here."

"I could keep you safe, Zack."

"It was on your property that Angela and I were nearly blown up, Hodgins."

"That's harsh, man."

"It's the truth."

"Truth or not you didn't have to state it so blatantly."

"I have found that speaking to you in a non-forthright manner only breeds confusion and anger. Anger and confusion shuts down the channels of communication without which lost we would all be."

"Thank you, Yoda. Why would you want to stay here?"

"Booth has been a very good host."

"And how long do you think that will last? He's not known for been an easygoing guy, Zack, especially not when it comes to you."

"I know that."

"Then why stay here?"

"I told you I feel safe and he's been a good host."

"Those are weak excuses, Zack, and you know it."

"Why do you want me to come now?"

"What do you mean?"

"It's been a few weeks, Hodgins. Why are you asking me to come live with you and Angela now?"

"Because you were really hurt and I could only deal with taking care of one of you at a time." Hodgins sighed. "And you were mad at me. I didn't want you to think that I was only offering to take care of you because I felt sorry for you."

"So you no longer feel sorry for me?"

"No."

"So you still feel sorry for me?"

"No, I mean no I don't feel sorry for you. No sympathy or empathy for you whatsoever."

"So you do not care that I was nearly blown up in the explosion that resulted in me losing my home, dumped, and then nearly shot by the man that killed the only person I've ever loved within the space of a few weeks?"

"No, I care about that. I just….dammit Zack, why do you have to be so logical?"

"Because logic has yet to fail me and you're changing the subject."

"You're right. I am. Okay. Zack?"

"Yes?"

"Is there a reason you want to stay here rather than come and crash on the futon at Angela?"

"You and Angela are probably going to have sex."

"Yeah, and?"

"Do you not remember the movie night that she came over with you and we watched 'Interview with the Vampire' when I first got back from Iraq?"

"Yes?"

"By the time Claudia died you and she went to have sex on my bed. You were loud."

"Well, I'm good in bed, Zack. Ang' just can't help it sometimes."

"I didn't say Angela was loud. I said you were loud. It was very awkward for me to sit and try and watch the movie when you were screaming obscenities to God and asking for more. I ended up sleeping on my sofa for a week while I waited for a new set of bed sheets to be rush delivered from Target's website."

"Oh."

"I think I'll stay with Booth."

"Yeah. Okay." Hodgins stood and started to leave. He turned back, opened his mouth, shut it and started cleaning up the Chinese food. "I'll just take this." Hodgins cleared his throat. He was almost out the door when Zack stood.

"Hodgins?" Jack turned abruptly. "You're still my best friend. We're….good? Right?" Jack smiled at his younger friend.

"Yeah, we're good." Hodgins nodded and left the apartment.

* * *

**Author After Talk**:

So I know this is a long time coming because well, you keep sending me reviews telling me exactly how long it's been since I've update. I'm a horrible person. I've been busy writing sex scenes…including drafts for the one in the next chapter…this is the long warning for that. I just got three reviews in three days. And here I thought people forgot about this fic.

Tropic


	39. Chapter 39

**_The_ _Face_ _with_ _Two Skeletons_**

_**by**_: Tropicwhale

_**disclaimer**_: I do not own any characters or settings associated with Fox's "Bones" series and am making no money from this fanfic.

_**Warnings**_: This chapter contains smut and foul language. If you are under 16 it is unsuitable for your reading pleasure. Turn back now or wait until chapter 40 is up.

* * *

**Chapter Thirty-Nine**

Zack finished vacuuming and cleaning up the apartment by the time Booth got home. He didn't try to masturbate again because his head was filled with Hodgins' visit. He was sure that Hodgins was worried about him but Zack was unsure about why he was moved to offer Zack a place to stay when Zack was already staying with Booth. Did Seeley say something to Hodgins that made Brennan's bug and slime guy think that he needed to rescue the younger scientist? Zack thought that they were enjoying each other's company but he was also aware that a lot of people who had sex without the complications of emotional attachment and outside the bedroom Booth could find interacting with him difficult. He just didn't think that Seeley was one of those people that didn't emotional engage with their sexual partners. But that was an assumption and Booth always teased him, good-naturedly, about making assumptions. It wasn't like Zack wanted Booth declaring that they were sleeping together at the top of his lungs in the middle of the Federal Bureau of Investigation's headquarters. In fact, Zack preferred it if Seeley would refrain from such displays as they tended to make Zack feel very uncomfortable.

So why did Hodgins think that he had to offer Zack a place to stay now?

Zack was in the kitchen cutting up vegetables for stir fry. Hodgins had taken all the food when he left, including Zack's untouched chicken and broccoli. It left Zack craving Chinese food for dinner. Seeley came through the door like he always did, with a sigh and the clacking of his keys hitting the end table in the short hallway to the rest of the apartment. The door slammed shut and Zack's thighs tingled. Knowing that Seeley was in the same apartment as him was definitely ratcheting up his arousal levels; it made Zack's heart pound against his sternum and his palms shake. Zack took a deep breath and refocused on cutting carrots into sticks. His shaking hands were not conductive to cutting vegetables up with a big sharp knife. Neither was the strong hands curling over his hip bones or the body molding itself to his back. Zack put the knife down on the cutting board. "Hello Seeley."

"Hello, Zack." There were lips at the nape of Zack's neck. Zack's body shuddered.

"Please stop. I'm trying to make dinner."

"Mm, what're we having?"

"Stir fry…but we don't have any meat in the house so…" Seeley spun Zack around.

"Did you actually start cooking?"

"Nooo. I just started prepping the food. I got behind schedule today…Hodgins came over for a visit."

"Really? That's good. I know that you guys were fighting."

"We weren't fighting."

"You yelled at him and got stuck in Limbo."

"Yeah, but I wasn't upset about that…even though he left me homeless."

"Well, you're here with me now."

"Which is why I'm not upset about it." Seeley started to grin leaving Zack clutching at Seeley's shoulders because his knees did that melting sensation thing.

"Are you okay?"

"Did I ever tell you that your smiles make me weak at the knees?"

"I seem to remember something along those lines being admitted and the floor of my bathroom…and multiple orgasms in one night." Booth was grinning fully now.

"Yeah, so you know you should stop smiling around me."

"I like that my smile affects you like that." Seeley leaned in, pressing his lips to Zack's ear. "It arouses me." He whispered. Zack let out a tiny moan. Booth gave him a low chuckle.

"Ooo, stop." Booth laughed and picked Zack up with an arm around his waist and another under Zack's knees. "What are you doing? Stop!" Zack was frantic.

"Shut up and stop struggling or I'll drop you and hurt my back." Booth ordered and Zack stopped struggling. Seeley carried him into the bedroom and dropped him on the bed. "We'll order in. How about subs?"

"Those are a lot of carbs…this late at night…."

"We'll burn them off." Seeley straightened and removed his tie, jacket and shirt. Zack's eyes were drawn to the government issued handgun in Booth's shoulder holster. Booth followed Zack's glance. "Oops." Booth took the gun out of the holster, checked the safety and removed the clip. He went to the closet and opened it. He knelt and opened his gun safe with his back to Zack, blocking the combination from his view.

Zack kicked off his shoes and socks while Booth's back was turned and was in the process of removing his shirt when Seeley turned back around. The federal officer leaned against the doorframe of the closet, his gun and shoulder holster gone. "Eager, aren't you?" he said. Zack could feel his face flushing and he looked down. "I'm just teasing, Zack. Cute blush." Zack glanced up and could feel himself blush even more. Booth laughed and moved back to the bed. He leaned over and kissed Zack full on the mouth. From there things got a little heated.

Booth pushed Zack down on the bed and settled between the other man's legs. They kissed, lips and tongue mashing together. It was very messy and wet and somehow Zack couldn't bring himself to care. He reached up and stroked Seeley's face. Seeley ran his hands down Zack's chest and up his biceps, tracing the white scar that bisected both his left bicep and left pectoral muscle. Zack shivered from the touch. His mind raced; calculations of nerve endings and metal curling around him and years of healing to this point in time where Booth bite down on the left areola and Zack's mind short-circuited to this moment, all of his attention on Seeley Booth.

Zachary Uriah Addy was not a man of instinct and flesh; he was cerebral and had been for as long as his excellent memory could be trusted back into the dim reaches of early childhood development but something about Seeley made him wish he was more comfortable in his own skin, made him want a world that wasn't just made up of facts and statistics, that he had a more normal existence. He knew such an existence was not possible but it did not stop Zack from sometimes dreaming of a life that wasn't filled with mostly decomposed bodies, serial killers wanting to initiate him, and secrets. Zack gasped and dragged Seeley's mouth back up to his because it seemed like a good distracting idea. Hands from both parties slipped to waistlines and crotches and then Zack's stomach growled loudly. Seeley pulled back in time to see Zack blush and he grinned down at the littlest squint.

"Hungry?"

Zack shrugged. "I should get started on dinner." He attempted to stand but Seeley wouldn't move.

"Hey, I said we'd order in." Zack looked up at him. "You've cooked almost every night since we…since you moved in." Zack shrugged.

"I like cooking for you. It makes me feel like I'm not a complete burden."

"You aren't a burden, Zack."

"You're only saying that because I'm free sex." Booth looked like someone had just smacked his face.

"Zack, that's not…I'm not…do you think I'm using you for sex?" Zack cocked his head to a forty-five degree angle.

"What makes you say that?"

"You just…you just said that…I'm not…_free_ _sex_ is not why you…Zack, I…" Zack could see Seeley was floundering and slid his hand up and cupped his neck. Seeley looked panicked and upset, the muscles under Zack's hand tensed and twitched. Zack sat up and kissed Seeley to get him to be quiet.

"It was a joke, Seeley. I was trying to make a joke." Zack said softly. "I know that you let me stay here because my house was blown up and you're a nice guy. I'm not paying rent so I cook and clean to make up for that. My parents raised me to be a polite houseguest. We have sex because I like you and its fun to engage with you on a physically intimate level, more than fun, it's amazing, better than I've ever thought sex could be. Please don't think you're taking advantage of me or anything. I don't want this to stop." Booth bite his own lower lip.

"Zack…" He whispered and then kissed the younger man. "That was very insightful."

"It was?" Booth pulled back to see that Zack looked very confused. "It was just a logical assumption."

"An assumption? You mean a guess?" Seeley smiled and Zack did his best to glare at him.

"Based on the conversation we were having…shut up." Zack pushed at Booth shoulder and the federal agent laughed collapsing on Zack, pinning him to the bed. The resulting struggle somehow turned back into a make-out session with Zack unbuttoning Seeley's work shirt. Seeley bit down on Zack's collarbone causing the scientist to moan and hook his right leg around Seeley's waist. They rutted against each other like teenagers until a stomach growled. "That wasn't me." Zack mumbled against Booth mouth.

"Yeah, I know. So subs?"

"Uh-huh, need that energy." Seeley got up, his shirt partly undone, his hair sticking up at odd angles and his underwear peaking out within the V of his unzipped and unbuttoned fly. Zack took in the sight, licking his lips at the sight of Seeley's erection bulging underneath the white fabric of the man's briefs. Zack reached out and grabbed Seeley's belt buckle that was hanging loose from the belt loops of his trousers and pulled, dropping onto the bed near the pillows. The black slacks sagged around Seeley's hips. Seeley "looked like a model out of pornographic magazine even though he was fully clothed". Zack looked up at his lover's face and realize he said that last part out loud.

"Do I?" Seeley's smile was mischievous and promised many interesting sexual poses in the very near future. Zack refused to get sidetracked.

"I'm hungry. Order something or I will be forced to eat you with the carrot sticks that are in the kitchen." Booth laughed and left the room, presumably to order something. Zack took a moment to calm down. Speaking of eating people made him think about Gormogon and the offer there. He should tell Booth. The deadline was fast approaching and they might have a chance at catching him. Of course, if Zack told Booth the Master might come after Zack. Zack knew Gormogon was dangerous. He knew that the man had no problem killing people to protect his secret so what was stopping him from killing off Zack? It was too much to think about right now. Tomorrow, after Booth left for work Zack would devote some time to figuring out what he was going to do about the cannibalistic serial killer. Until then, he was just going to enjoy his time with Seeley. After all, either choice, joining Gormogon or telling Booth about him…it would probably put a damper on the budding relationship that was occurring between the scientist and the federal agent.

Seeley came back into the room. "Hey, no brooding. This is a no brooding zone." Zack looked up at the beautiful man that was sharing his bed with Zack.

"Sorry, I was just thinking about the case." Which was true, he was thinking about the Gormogon case. As long as Seeley didn't press the issue the lie would hold. Zack was very good at lying by omission.

"Hey, new rule. Work does not enter this apartment. This is a case-free zone...here we're not Agent Booth and Dr. Zack Addy, we're Seeley and Zack. Okay?" That did help. He didn't want to think about anything about his job while he was with Seeley. He just wanted to enjoy the unexpected chance to be with the man.

"Fair enough. Is the food on its way?"

"We've got about twenty minutes."

"Enough time for coitus and a half."

"A half of coitus?

"Yep."

"You're getting better at joking." Zack's face fell.

"I didn't mean for it to be a joke. I could explain the math." Seeley pounced on him making the bed bounce under the sudden weight.

"I'd rather you didn't."

"A practical demonstration then?" Zack really liked doing practical demonstrations, especially the kind that would involve having sex with Seeley.

"You look too excited about that. I wonder why." Zack grinned and Seeley kissed the side of his mouth. Zack slipped his hand down the front of Booth's pants making Booth throw his head back and moan. Zack nipped at his neck, scrapping his teeth down to Booth's sterum. Seeley collapsed back onto the bed, letting Zack take the lead. Zack's hand stroked down Seeley's erection, pass his balls almost to his anus and back up to his stomach, pushing the white button-up shirt out of the way. Seeley bent his right knee and pushed his hips into the air.

"You want more?" Zack whispered into the other man's right ear.

"Yes. Zack, please." The word please said in that breathy tone of Seeley's voice sent a shiver down Zack's entire body. There was something overwhelming about listening to a federal agent beg Zack of all people for something sexual in nature. Zack's hand drifted over the skin of Seeley's abdomen and Seeley let out a hiss of air. Zack decided to stick his hand back down Seeley's slacks but changed his mind in mid motion, deciding instead to kiss the trail of light hair trailing from Booth's bellybutton into his underwear. He knelt up and adjusted his body so that his feet were near but pointed away from Booth's head and Zack's face was facing Seeley's groin. Booth moaned when Zack lowered his head and kissed the skin just below his navel. Zack bite the skin lightly, his hand running down over Seeley's briefs, feeling the muscle beneath the cotton blend fabric jump at the touch. There was a hand running down the outside of Zack's left thigh then up and over Zack's lumbar to the waistband of his sweats. He kissed lower on Seeley's body and the hand slipped below the fabric and over Zack's skin of his derriere. Zack's own erection twitched at that and the muscles of his anus tightened and then relaxed. Seeley's fingers drifted over the ring of muscles and past to grab Zack's scrotum. Zack moaned against Seeley's skin as the other man thumbed the seam of skin between Zack's testicles. He could feel the sweatpants slip down his thighs, leaving him at least partially exposed to the air. The sensation made him stop in mid-action. "Zack, if you stop so will I." Seeley threatened. Zack quickly pushed down the fabric covering Seeley's groin and took a large portion of the man's sexual organ into his mouth. Seeley let out a sound that was half laugh and half moan. Zack sucked as hard as he could until his jaw ached from the effort. He pulled back for air and Booth pushed him away from his groin.

"What?" Zack's voice sounded raw and annoyed to his own ears. Booth laughed.

"Take off the sweats, Zack. They're getting in my way."

"Oh." Zack sat back and pushed the pants completely off and threw them somewhere behind him. He moved so he was mostly in the center of the bed with his head towards the headboard. "Come here." He said, spreading his thighs in what he hoped was an inviting manner. Booth licked his licks and crawled toward. They met in the middle and kissed, Zack's eyes closing involuntarily. Seeley's hand drifted down Zack's arms and grabbed his wrists, pulling them above Zack's head. Zack opened his eyes and looked up. Booth had his belt in one hand and was using it to tie Zack's arms to the headboard. "What?"

"For the last few times we've had sex you've been in control. It's my turn."

"You just had to ask. You don't need to tie me up."

"You don't understand. I need to tie you up."

"Does it have something to do with sadomasochistic tendencies that help you achieve orgasm?" Zack asked.

"No. It has to do with the fact that every time you touch me I get really distracted and compliant."

"Is that a bad thing?" Zack wanted to know.

"No, it's a great thing…but I want a chance to do it to you. Are we clear?"

"I think so." In truth, being tied up made Zack very nervous.

"Do you trust me not to hurt you?"

"Yes." was the immediate answer.

"Then relax, close your eyes, and let yourself feel." Zack obeyed the orders. Booth licked up from Zack's navel to his sterum, making Zack's skin jump. Then Zack's nipple was bitten which made him moan and pull against the belt. Booth licked and touched the scar on Zack's chest at the exact same moment his other hand took a hold of Zack's erection and stroked. Zack thrashed and yelped.

"Seeley! Oh." There was a finger circling his anus and Zack's legs spread wide. "Oh, please, please." His finger gripped the headboard and his toes dug into the comforter. Despite all of these indications that Zack was enjoying the tactile stimulations the finger moved up and away from Zack's anus. Zack groan in disappointment and started to open his eyes.

"Keep your eyes closed, Zack, I mean it. If you open your eyes I'll stop." Zack squeaked and scrunched his eyes closed. Booth laughed then a wet heat enveloped Zack's sexual organ. Booth hummed around the muscle and Zack thrust up into Booth's mouth. Seeley's hand pushed down Zack's hipbones, keeping him still.

"Seeley! Please!" Seeley's mouth pulled away from Zack's penis with an audible popping noise. "Seeley!"

"Tell me what you want me to do to you, Zack. Be detailed and tell me what you want me to do to you." Seeley's voice was low and dark and it send a violent shudder of arousal down Zack's spine.

"I want you to suck my erection."

"Like this?" Booth's hot breath bounced off Zack's penis and he sucked a small patch of skin on the right side into his mouth. It felt good, really good, but it wasn't exactly what Zack had wanted.

"Mm, no. I want you to take-take my penis in your mouth, as far in as you can and suck hard." Booth did exactly as he was instructed and Zack moaned. Never in his wildest sexual fantasies or his actual sexual experiences did something like this occur to him as a possibility. It stretched his imagination to the breaking point. "Lick, oh yes, lick the-the vein fr-from the base to the tip, ooooh. Yes, just like that. Oh-oh. Seeley!" He was so close to climaxing. "Hum like you did before. Oh, don't stop…ah, Seeley!"

The door bell rang and the oral sex stopped. Zack opened his eyes to see Seeley stand and fix his pants so that he wasn't hanging out for the delivery person to see. "Food's here." Seeley said by way of explanation. "Stay put."

"Like I have a choice?" Zack asked splaying his hands as far as they would go bound. Booth laughed and left the room. Zack heard the gentle murmur of voices and then the front door shutting. Booth reappear, his shirt untucked and a greasy brown paper bag in one hand. He stood in the doorway and looked at Zack.

"Yep, I don't think I'm going to untie you."

"What? Why?"

"Because you look good enough to eat tied up like that."

"How am I suppose to eat?"

"I'll feed you." Seeley said. Zack glared at him.

"Untie me, Seeley."

"Nope. You'll touch me and I'll end up being the one belted to the head board." Seeley sat on the bed near Zack with the paper bag balanced on one knee. "Face it, you'll let me feed you or you wait to eat until after I'm finished with you."

"Seeley."

"I like it when you call me Seeley."

"Agent Booth. I'm serious." Seeley gave him a look that made Zack's penis twitch.

"So am I. I got you an American Cold Cut, is that okay?"

"Yes."

"French fry?"

"Yes please." Seeley fed Zack a french fry and then a bite of the sub. Once Zack was full, Booth gobbled down his sandwich and some fries.

"Better. Much better."

"You are in a really weird mood tonight, Seeley."

"Yep! You've an alibi for Olivia's murder, and it's unlikely you'd try to blow Angela and yourself up and we found evidence at Anne's murder sight that indicated that you could not have possibly been the murderer."

"No work talk, remember? We are suppose to be compartmentalizing any talk about work to outside this apartment."

"Right. We're not co-workers in here, we're lovers. Sorry. We went from having four suspects to having none for this murder I'm investigating at work, _Zaddy_, but I find I like having no suspects versus having one of my team on the suspect list. It kinda has made me a little frisky." Booth crawled up Zack's body and nuzzled the other man's neck with his face.

"Seeley." Zack giggled. Booth nibbled Zack's ear. "Ah! That tickles." Zack laughed and then shuddered as Seeley's hands ghosted down his ribs. "Oh" Zack's head slammed against the headboard. "ow. I'm fine." He said when Booth's head snapped up, a look of shock and fear on his face. "Really. Do it again." Seeley gave him a salacious grin and then ran his fingertips back up Zack's ribs. Zack arched back, careful not to bang his head a second time and then Seeley stood up. "Hey, get back here." Zack demanded. Seeley was starting to develop a habit of leaving Zack with an erect penis and desiring tactile stimulation. It was starting to get on the scientist's nerves. Seeley just gave Zack another one of those grins that made the scientist glad he was sprawled on a bed rather than standing somewhere public. Then Seeley ran a hand up his stomach and started unbuttoning his shirt very slowly. Zack's eyes widened when he realized Seeley was giving him a strip tease. It was a new and novel experience. Seeley looked down and tilted his head.

"I still have my shoes on." And he bent over to take them off. Zack caught a reflection of Seeley's butt up in the air in the edge of the mirror that was set into the closet door which was partly closed. Beyond Seeley's reflection was Zack's. The mirror showed a naked man tied to the wooden head board looking shell-shocked, his hair going every direction and his skin slowly flushing pink. Seeley straightened up, apparently having taken off his shoes and socks and notice Zack's attention wasn't on him. Seeley turned around and saw the mirror. Zack looked up and made eye contact with Seeley's reflection. "Do you like the way you look?" The older man said and closed the door so that the reflection wasn't on an angle.

"It was surprising. I forgot that there was a mirror there." Seeley smiled at Zack through the reflection. He finished taking off his work shirt and re-opened his pants, shoving a hand down into the V shaped opening.

"Rhetorical question, Zack. Do you know what you do to me, physically? Psychologically?" Seeley licked his lips and never took his eyes off the reflection of Zack. Zack felt hot and flushed from the reflected attention. Why was this so arousing? He could see Seeley's hand working under the white of his briefs. Slowly. Zack licked his lips and noticed it in the mirror as well as the way Seeley's eyes were drawn to the motion. "I'm not attracted to guys. But then you come along and I get distracted during the day thinking about you in me. How it hurt. How good it felt. How if I sat down in a specific way afterwards I could feel how much you stretched me out." The hand came out and Seeley's slacks were pushed to the floor and kicked away. Now, Zack could see all the muscles working in Seeley's legs and his derriere. Seeley pushed his underwear down so that it framed the man's erection and testicles. The hand was back on the muscle and Zack couldn't help but split his attention between the movement in the mirror and the way the curves of Seeley's ass peaked above the black and white elastic band. "You know I was having lunch with Bones today and we were talking about the case and I was leaning back on my chair and suddenly I had a flashback to you sucking my cock and I fell and hurt my back. It was worth it." Zack looked up at the reflection of Seeley's face when he cussed. Seeley wasn't really someone who cursed a lot. He said thinks like 'Dammit' but things like 'fuck' and 'cock'? Almost never. At the look Seeley was giving him through the mirror he could feel himself flush. He knew Seeley had said it to get a reaction. He checked his own reflection to see that he was in fact sporting a blush the shade of a beetroot. He looked away. He was suddenly uncomfortable with the mirror thing.

He heard hinges creak and looked over to see Seeley opening the closet door enough so that the mirror wasn't reflecting the bed. He watch silently as Booth shucked his underwear and crawled back onto the bed. They kissed and it wasn't about sexual experimentation or domination games or about any of the possible meanings behind their dalliances. It was just a kiss between two people who were attracted to each other. It was simple. Zack liked it. He liked kissing Seeley. Seeley cupped his cheek and the other hand undid the belt so that Zack's hands were free. Zack's arms wrapped around Seeley's neck and Seeley's hands curled over Zack's hips. They rolled on the bed until Zack was on top of Seeley and their erections lined up. Seeley's hands were somehow both rough and soft as they ran over Zack's body and his mouth warm and open. "Do you want me, Zack?"

"Yes."

"How much?" Zack rolled his eyes at the man. This was getting ridiculous.

"Stop teasing me and fuck me already." Booth froze beneath him and Zack pulled back.

"You just said fuck."

"Yes. Because you're being a cock tease and I'm horny."

"You said this morning that you were uncomfortable with sexual colloquialisms and that you didn't use them." Booth's voice cracked somewhere in the middle of his sentence. Zack exhaled. He reached down and shoved a finger into Seeley, crooking it in order to stimulate his prostate. The other man jumped "Oh."

"Shut up, Seeley." All the tension fled Seeley's body and they went back to kissing, Zack fingering his lover.

"Zack…" Zack was kissing Seeley's neck as he added another finger. Booth grabbed his upper arms so tightly that Zack was sure that he would have bruises in the morning. Zack reached over to the nightstand to grab the tub of petroleum jelly they used for lube. "Zack."

Soon enough Zack was between Seeley's legs his erection buried deep in the other man. Zack thrust forward and up, dragging back slowly, over and over again. Seeley grabbed the head board at some point, his triceps and forearms bulging with the effort, one leg thrown over Zack's hip. Zack's hands were braced on the bed on either side of Seeley's chest, his knee spread for balance as much as anything else. Both men had broken out into sweat making the activity a slick copulation. It was the longest they had fornicated as well as the longest time Zack's 'giant brain' had turned off while he was awake. All he wanted in the world was to watch Seeley come undone because of him. Zack took his right hand and ran it down Seeley's chest and caught the erection that was bouncing between their bodies. Seeley moaned and arched against the bed. Finally Seeley climax with a moan that sounded like the first part of Zack's name but into a wordless sound. Seeley slumped back while Zack pounded forward, chasing his own coitus for another ten minutes and then, having achieved it, collapsed on top of his lover.

"Ow." Seeley yawned. Zack pulled out and winced at the mess that they had made of themselves.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you."

"It's fine. Com're." Zack collapse back but almost immediately pulled away. "What?"

"We're a mess. I think we should take a shower before going to sleep."

"You take a shower." Booth yawned again. "I'll stay here."

"You are the majority of the mess. Come on." Zack got up and pulled his reluctant lover to standing.

"Ow." Seeley winced.

"You said you were fine…come on." Zack eventually got them both under the warm water and soaped off. They didn't bother toweling off and Seeley followed him like an obedient puppy back into bed. They snuggled together and Seeley was out like a light. Zack spent a few minutes running his fingers through Seeley's wet hair before succumbing to stage one sleep. Right before he started to drift off Zack kissed Seeley's lips and then whispered "Booth, I love you."

* * *

After Talk with the Author: Um, *clears throat*. I'm not sure where that came from...So the time line for this story (in my mind) is that it takes place somewhere between episode 3:1 and 3:2, I really wanted for Zack to call Booth on his apparent kink with the belt but the fetish pony-play episode is 3:3, see my problem? So, artistic license… yeah.

Can anyone guess why I was so excited to write this scene? It was not the sex.

So, I finished this last night around 2:30 in the morning and didn't feel like editing when I was that tired. Forgive the delay?

Tropic


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